Princess of the Servant
by Devie Saves
Summary: Sakura rules her kingdom alongside her father, but loves to boss around an amber-eyed servant boy who is her age... But what if she learns about the world of magic? Will she still be content with her royal life? Rated PG for mild violence. .:FINISHED:.
1. The Start of Something New

Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura is owned by CLAMP, and all of the characters except my original characters and my story line is also owned by CLAMP. The content in the other chapters linked to this site is owned by CLAMP except my original characters and story line.  
  
The Start of Something New  
  
Princess Sakura sat on a chair in her dressing room. One of her servants, Tomoyo, was helping her into a new gown. As she buttoned up the back, Princess Sakura looked herself up and down in the mirror. She gave a small twirl and frowned. "It is too difficult to move in," criticized the princess, "I shall wear it today, but I expect a new one by tomorrow morning." Tomoyo nodded and curtseyed, pulling her own servant's gown away at her sides. "That will do, Tomoyo." She left the room, leaving the princess still looking at her reflection in the mirror.  
  
Sakura was beautiful, her short, brown hair hung loosely down to her shoulders and her emerald eyes stared woefully back at her from the mirror. Her body was shaped, her legs thin and strong, her hands small and graceful. She had wonderful etiquette and spoke three languages. Every prince and pauper watched in stunned silence when she brushed by, every worthy man in the world wanted to be her future prince. Sakura sighed and turned away from the mirror. "I need only freedom and love," she said, "I'd give my beauty, and everything for that."  
  
She walked silently through the hallway, the back of her dress trailing in lovely yellow creases behind her. Suddenly, about seven feet away, a door opened to her right. Out walked a boy, dressed in a suit and tie, handsome enough to be a prince. He walked slowly with his head down, concealing his deep amber eyes, which the princess knew were there, watching, waiting, and hoping. His dark brown hair was all that could be distinguished against his dark suit; in the dim light, its highlights were unmistakable.  
  
Sakura cleared her throat to make her presence known, and when she did, Syaoran stood up straight and turned to see her. He gave a low bow and stood again at the princess's "Thank you."  
  
A smile crept across Sakura's face. One of her favorite things to do was to boss this servant; he was her age and despised doing what he was told, though that is what he must always do. Sakura liked him, it was only that it was more fun to annoy him and bother him than to be kind. He had received many a punishment from her, though none cruel or especially uncomfortable, and many a small, unneeded task was asked of him from her.  
  
Many thoughts of despise ran through Syaoran's head as he waited for Sakura to give him an order, though none of these showed on his face, for fear of what would happen. "Servant boy," Sakura said, she knew that he hated being called by that name. At hearing this, a definite frown appeared on Syaoran's face. Sakura provoked him even more, she looking forward to punishing him. "Do you have my tea yet?"  
  
A look of confusion appeared on Syaoran's thin face. "No, Your Majesty, Princess Sakura." He said grudgingly, hating the demand of calling her by such a ridiculous name.  
  
"Why not?" said Sakura, hardly hiding the pleasure in her voice.  
  
"Forgive me, Princess Sakura, but I do not remember being asked to bring tea."  
  
Sakura added fake anger to her tone, "I do not ask, I order, or demand if you'd rather, and are you questioning my word? If I think that I asked you to bring tea, than it is so!"  
  
Syaoran's cheeks burned red with rage. He knew the game that Sakura was playing, and mumbled, clearly mockingly, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, Princess Sakura."  
  
"Dare you use that tone with you princess?" Sakura said, advancing a few steps forward, "You will receive no food rations for today, and half the water rations. You shall bring tea to me in my room, and wait there for me. I will keep you busy today."  
  
Syaoran regretted greatly what he had said and done, though he was proud of himself for giving the stuck-up princess a little bit of what she needed. He bit his lip to keep from saying anything stupid. "Yes, Princess Sakura," he said. Then he turned and began walking towards the kitchen to fetch her tea, cursing under his breath, and Sakura made her way to the Servant's Quarters to inform them of Syaoran's punishment, smiling inwardly to herself.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Augh!!!" Syaoran banged his fist on the wall of his room. He closed his eyes and cradled his hand, "Ow." He was almost in tears; he was tired, hungry, thirsty, and now his hand was bleeding. He had spent all evening doing stupid things for the stupid princess that she didn't even need done, it was all he could do to keep from ruining his other hand against wall, too.  
  
He sat down on his cot and looked around. His room was about twice a big as a walk-in closet (except it was square-shaped, of course), and its walls were made of jagged stone. Stupid jagged stone!!! He looked carefully at the gash on the side of his hand and winced. He ripped some of the lining off of the sheet that covered his cot, which was the only other thing in the room. He wrapped it tightly, but gently, around his wound, and tied it. Then he fell backwards on his cot with a sigh, Sakura would probably make the day harder for him tomorrow, so, thankfully, he instantly fell into a deep, resting slumber.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Servant boy!" Sakura clapped twice. Syaoran appeared around the corner a few moments later, an expression of loathing written clear on his face. "Run and fetch my morning tea." Syaoran glared at her and clenched his fists.  
  
"Eriol has been sent for it, Princess Sakura."  
  
"I want you to do it."  
  
"May I ask for your reason?" Said Syaoran through clenched teeth, his face turning red.  
  
"Do you dare ask?" Sakura said, in a warning voice. Syaoran lowered his head and glared at the floor.  
  
"No, Your Majesty." He was biting his lip so hard that it was bleeding. It was all he could do, especially after the ordeal the day before, to keep himself from screaming a million words at her, and none of them would be "Your Majesty" or "Princess".  
  
"Good," Sakura said in her most proper tone, "Get along with it then." Syaoran turned and left her room, muttering under his breath. He was glad that he hadn't gotten himself in trouble; he was starving and looked forward to today's meal.  
  
Sakura turned and sat down on her bed. Somehow, she had a feeling that something wasn't normal today. Something wasn't right, either that, or something was going to happen. She had earlier tried to brush the feeling away, but it always came back. She sighed and opened up her book. It was called Princesses Past. She was supposed to read it and write a five-page report on it for her history lessons.  
  
"Your Majesty," Sakura shut her book and turned around. Syaoran was standing at the doorway with her tea. "Your tea."  
  
"Come in." Syaoran trudged in and set the tray down roughly on her desk. "Don't drag your feet so," Sakura scolded, "You'll ruin the carpet. Besides, it's not polite to do that in the presence of a Princess." Syaoran began walking towards the door, giving an over exaggerated demonstration of picking up his feet and walking properly. Sakura was having trouble suppressing an all-out laugh. In her boring life, even something as small as a servant boy could be exciting.  
  
Her expression turned grave again, though, when the strange feeling came back in a rush, stronger than before. She felt a strong aura (or color, since she had no idea what auras were); it was coming from outside the castle. It was a deep gray. She was puzzled, because she had never felt a "color" unless its source was very near.  
  
Syaoran paused outside Sakura's door while leaving. He felt something in Sakura's aura. She was confused, worried about something, something new.  
  
Unlike Sakura, Syaoran knew about magic. The only people that Syaoran knew had magic were he, Eriol, Sakura, and the king. Of these, he, Eriol, and the King were aware of their magic. Sakura was unaware of her powers, Syaoran knew this, but she could feel things happening. She could feel auras, though she knew not what they were, she knew only that they were colors that she felt when certain people were near.  
  
He, like Sakura, shrugged the feeling off and continued down the dim hallway. He had an uneasy feeling, though, he knew that something must be wrong. After feeling the dark aura in Sakura's, he began also feeling it himself. Another thing that bothered him was why she had felt the presence of the new aura first. His magic was much stronger than hers. Had he underestimated Sakura's level of power? Of course he knew that her magic was more abundant, but he, unlike Sakura, had control and knowledge of his, making his magic the stronger.  
  
As he made his way down the hallway, the dark aura suddenly became very strong. It became so vivid that Syaoran fell to the ground out of dizziness. Sakura, hearing the "thump" as he hit the floor, scurried into the hallway.  
  
Sakura saw Syaoran sitting in the middle of the hallway. He was staring straight ahead of him, at the wall, with a confused, worried look on his face, somewhat in a trance. She was about to ask if he was okay, but didn't say anything because of a dark gray color that had entered her mind.  
  
As quickly as it came, the aura went, and Syaoran's gaze slowly moved to the velvet floor. He took a deep breath and stood up. He was so troubled about what had just happened that he didn't even notice the Princess watching him turn the corner.  
  
"What was that?" Sakura thought, brushing off her dress. She was very confused and for some reason an unshakable feeling of terror seized her heart. She quickly ran back into her room and shut the door. She walked slowly to her bed and sat so that she had the wall behind her back and she had a view of the whole room in front of her. She let out a shaky breath that she had been holding and set her trembling hands in her lap. She couldn't feel the color anymore, but that only made things worse.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Syaoran was in his tiny little room once more, but this time not minding its musty smell or hostile air. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at his hands, which were clasped and sweaty on his knees. He was breathing harder than he noticed, but the gray aura, which was fresh in his mind, made it hard for him to do something even so simple.  
  
He gasped and stood up, terrified, at a knock on his door. Once he realized the knock for what it was, he sat back down and said nothing. The door was locked, it wasn't like he could say 'come in' or anything.  
  
Eriol gently opened the door and peeked inside before opening it all the way. Like Sakura, Tomoyo, and he, Eriol was fifteen and had known all three of them since he was a toddler. Eriol was a much stronger magician that Syaoran, and Syaoran was well aware of that. Eriol was Syaoran's only friend, though Tomoyo tried to be, and they often talked at night, since it was easy for Eriol to break the lock to Syaoran's room with his magic.  
  
Syaoran noticed that Eriol's face was very serious tonight, but he wasn't surprised. Eriol stood in front of him and studied him for a few moments before saying anything; Syaoran just stared at the floor.  
  
"A gray aura is present outside the castle gates," he said grimly.  
  
"Really?" Syaoran said sarcastically, still not taking his eyes off the floor.  
  
"I see you have sensed it." Eriol sighed, "Syaoran, I need you to take me seriously." Syaoran looked up. Eriol hardly ever directly addressed him, and when he did, it was always serious. "You aren't safe tonight."  
  
Syaoran sighed. "Why? What does he want? Do I have a reason to care?"  
  
Eriol looked sympathetically at Syaoran. He waited until Syaoran looked up and made direct eye contact with him. "He wants only your life and the cards." 


	2. Syaoran's Savior

*Flashback from last chapter*  
  
Eriol looked sympathetically at Syaoran. He waited until Syaoran looked up and made direct eye contact with him. "He wants only your life and the cards."  
  
*End of flashback*  
  
Syaoran's Savior  
  
"It would be wise for me to stay with you," said Eriol, eying Syaoran in search for any fear, "But some may become suspicious if I don't return to my room."  
  
"Go on," said Syaoran, with a wave of his hand, "I can handle it."  
  
Eriol smiled at Syaoran. He was proud, he didn't sense very much fear in the boy, and he imagined that he would handle himself quite well in the challenge that would oppose him shortly. He nodded politely and left the room, re-locking the door after he did.  
  
Syaoran sat alone in his room, he was very nervous, but somehow the feeling of fear was absent. He was very sure of himself; he had nothing to be afraid of. He was getting more and more impatient, he knew something was going to happen, he knew he had only wait for it to come. Sheesh! Why couldn't whoever it was just show himself and get this whole ordeal over with?  
  
He was very tired, but just as far from sleep. He stood from his bed at a sudden thought and slipped his sword and the cards out from under his 'mattress'. He looked closely at the front and back of each card carefully, slowly moving from one card to the next. He knew all of them by heart; Windy, Earthy, Jump, Mirror, Shadow, Sword..........." He could have gone on, but a crash jerked him to attention.  
  
He yelled at himself (mentally) for giving his enemy exactly what he wanted; a chance for an ambush. He had allowed himself to get distracted, and now, most likely, he would pay for it.  
  
All this thought occurring in only a fraction of a second, Syaoran reached for his sword quickly and held it in front of him at ready. Suddenly, the cards (which he had dropped on the floor) all glowed with a black 'light' and floated up to about Syaoran's eye level. Syaoran froze. What was happening? The cards. they were only supposed to obey the Master of the Clow, and a new one hadn't been chosen yet.  
  
A loud booming laughter filled the room. "You let your guard down, little boy!" It said evilly, "You will pay dearly!" Suddenly Wood moved farther away from Syaoran. It began spinning, and then it let out a burst of blinding black 'light'. Syaoran shielded his eyes with his hand, but then let out a cry of surprise.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Sakura had heard the crash and had been even more determined not to move from her spot. Soon after though, she had heard creaking from the wall that she had her back against and fled her room. Once out in the hallway, she had clearly felt the deep gray color. With a deep breath to steady her heartbeat, she had headed toward the source of the color.  
  
Sakura was now running through the servant's 'level' as it was called (the basement, where the servants all ate and slept); more terrified that she had ever been in her life. She stopped abruptly in front of a door. It was a door to a room of one of the servants, the only other thing she knew was that the aura was coming from inside. She grabbed the chain around her neck. It held two keys, a large, pink key that had a star on it and looked nothing like a normal key, and another, normal looking key that could open any lock. She hesitated. Why was she going inside? She could run away right now....  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Inside the room, Syaoran yelled in surprise as he felt something wrap around his wrist. He held his wrist up to look at it and gasped. The Wood was attacking him. Before he had a chance to react, Wood had knocked his sword out of his hand, had his other wrist, and had bound both of his arms to his sides. A large tree sprouted from the ground behind him and began entangling him in even more branches and vines. Then Syaoran couldn't breathe. The vines tightened around his neck and he was almost completely helpless without his sword or his hands.  
  
Syaoran wasn't sure what to do, but he used his foot to slide his sword closer to him until it was at an easy-reach level. Then he put all his strength and thought into freeing his arms. He strained as hard as he could, and suddenly they loosened. Syaoran quickly reached down and was able to get a grasp with one hand on the blade of the sword near the hilt. He had to waste a precious moment to get his sword held properly and then he brought it down hard on the length of one of the vines that were strangling him. The vine withered and loosened, but only more vines took its place and mingled with the others.  
  
Syaoran hadn't breathed in about sixty seconds by now and was having trouble moving and thinking. He whacked three more vines and they loosened from his neck, but there were many left. Then he thought of his magic cards. Why hadn't he thought of that? Syaoran's other hand, by this time, was once again covered in vines, but a swing of his sword freed it.  
  
Syaoran pulled a magic card out of his pocket and held it up. Then he realized his mistake. He couldn't yell the words. He couldn't breathe for crying out loud! He was becoming dizzy and faint and he struggled to keep his feet and not to drop his sword. The evil gray aura was surprised he had held out for so long and was amused at his futile attempts to save himself.  
  
Suddenly the door burst open and a terrified looking Princess stepped in. She screamed when she saw The Wood and took a few steps back. Syaoran tried to yell, but he couldn't. Wood grabbed Sakura's left arm and Sakura screamed again in fright. Syaoran dizzily grasped his sword better and swung it with all his might at the vines. This time, all of them were sliced through and Syaoran fell to his knees gasping. He noticed the pink key that hung around Sakura's neck and suddenly a rush of memories came back. They were muddled and the only clear thing he made of them was 'Card Mistress' 'key' and a magical chant.  
  
"Sakura!" he managed to yell. "Hold....out.... your magic key!" He said between gasps. His sword was now gone from his hands and was beyond all reach.  
  
Sakura looked at him and wrapped her hand around the pink key. "Th. this?" She said, her eyes darting from the Syaoran to the branches and vines that were covering more of her body by the second. She was immensely confused, but she decided that this was no time to ask questions.  
  
Syaoran nodded, ".... Repeat!" he commanded. He said the chant quickly, "Clow Card, Clow Card, hear my plea! Lend your powers to my key!" Sakura repeated this while holding up her key. "RELEASE!" Syaoran yelled.  
  
Sakura yelled it louder out of disparity. Her key, miraculously, turned into a long pink staff with a yellow star on the end. Sakura gasped as a flash of yellow light emitted from it, driving all the vines and branches away. Syaoran was helplessly being covered by the branches again; all he could do was thrash and yell, which was what he was doing. The branches were also advancing on Sakura again, but she didn't know what to do.  
  
Syaoran calmed his own panic and told Sakura another magical chant, "Clow Card, let this evil be,"  
  
"Clow Card, let this evil be," Sakura repeated.  
  
"Return to your card, and obey only me."  
  
"Return to your card, and obey only me." Sakura took a deep breath and touched the bottom of her staff to the floor, "RELEASE!" she yelled knowingly. All the vines withdrew; a gasp was heard from the evil aura. The branches twisted together and forged themselves into a beautiful, elflike maiden covered in leaves and vines. She closed her eyes and was sucked into the glowing black card.  
  
All the cards stopped glowing and fell to the floor. All the cracks and crevices made by the card were sealed and disappeared. Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Sakura from his place on the ground. Sakura's staff turned back into its key form and she put it once again around her neck.  
  
"What was that?" Sakura whispered.  
  
Syaoran stood up and deliberately sat down on his cot. "Nothing," he said shortly.  
  
"Yes it was!" Sakura said, breathing hard, not noticing or caring about his or her own manners.  
  
"I could have handled that on my own, you know."  
  
Sakura looked at him like he was crazy. "When I came in here, you being strangled by a TREE!"  
  
Syaoran scowled. "If you hadn't come along, I could have handled by myself. I didn't need your help."  
  
"So why did you tell me what to do?"  
  
"Well," Syaoran stammered, "You were being attacked too!"  
  
"Sure." Sakura said turning away from him. "Tell me what happened." Syaoran was about to yell at her again but Eriol appeared in the doorway.  
  
"An outside force was trying to take the Clow Cards and the life of their holder." Sakura stared at him. Eriol, not forgetting his manners, bowed respectfully before his princess. "The Clow Cards are magical cards created thousands of years ago by their master, Clow Reed. When their master died, they awaited a new one. The person with the gray aura."  
  
"The color?"  
  
Eriol smiled. "Yes," he continued, "He wanted to be the new Master of the Clow. He wanted to steal the cards and kill Syaoran so that nobody else would know."  
  
Sakura was confused, even though Eriol was taking great care to make it as simple as he could. "You are the new Card Mistress." Eriol said.  
  
"NANI?"  
  
"You hold the key, the staff bearing the symbol of your star." Sakura brought a hand to her chin and gave Eriol a confused look. "You need to be aware of your magic," Eriol said.  
  
"I have magic?" Sakura said, sounding like a small child.  
  
Eriol gave her a warm smile. "From now on, you must meet me down here every evening. I will train you in use of your magic and the cards; you may need it."  
  
Sakura nodded. She didn't know what else to do.  
  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I will make the next chapter as soon as I can!  
  
Thank you IwillmarryJustinTimberlake, You got what you wanted, another chapter!  
  
Thank you Anna-May, I'm glad you liked it!  
  
Thank you kawaii kitty, Syaoran finally gets a bit of his own attitude! Well, Sakura's high authority over him won't last much longer.  
  
Thank you Syth Colbalt, I'm glad you thought it was good!  
  
Thank you Madison, I hope I'm updating fast enough for you!  
  
Thank you fire_blade, I'm glad you like it!  
  
Thank you Carmen, I hope you are satisfied with this chapter!  
  
Thank you Christopher Nowinski, I'm glad you liked my start and I hope you read the rest!  
  
Thank you CCSakura, It'll get sweeter and more kawaii as it goes!  
  
Thanks again for all the reviews! I am so surprised at how many I got for just one chapter!!! I guess Fantasy is a popular subject! I hope that all of you will continue reading and reviewing my story. Ideas are welcomed and I hope you enjoy my story! 


	3. Away From My Life

*Flashback from last chapter*  
  
Eriol gave her a warm smile. "From now on, you must meet me down here every evening. I will train you in use of your magic and the cards; you may need it."  
  
Sakura nodded. She didn't know what else to do.  
  
*End of flashback*  
  
Away From My Life  
  
Every evening, when the first stars appeared in the deep, dark heavens, Sakura would quietly tiptoe to the servant's level. Every night, Eriol would help her to practice with her magic, and every night she grew stronger. This night, when Sakura opened the door to Eriol's room, he seemed more serious than nights past.  
  
"Your training is done, Princess Sakura," said Eriol giving her a small smile. Sakura stared at him. She didn't say anything. "The cards," said Eriol, handing all of the Clow Cards over to her. Sakura had used the cards before in her training, but she hadn't thought about actually OWNING them.  
  
She gave Eriol a quick bow. "Arigato," she said as she stood. She had developed a lot of respect for Eriol over the last twelve days, and so had he, for her. She stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to say something, but he stared at her just the same. She bowed again and not knowing what else to do, walked quietly out of his room, locking the door behind her.  
  
She walked through the hallway again, thinking about the cards. What was she going to do with them now? After all this, was she just going to go back to her normal life? She sighed. She may never get the chance to use them again. Eriol had said not to use the cards unless it was important, that way if she really needed to use them, she would have enough magic to do so. After the last two weeks, she knew how exhausting using magic could be.  
  
"Umph!"  
  
"Oh!" Sakura was knocked to the ground. She sat up and saw Syaoran sitting on the ground a few feet away form her, rubbing his left elbow. "Gomen, Syaoran!" She said. Lately, she hadn't bossed Syaoran around at all. She no longer thought it was fun to punish him, and she didn't mind it if he didn't use formalities, either. Syaoran took advantage of this, and treated her no better than any of the other servants.  
  
"Fine." Syaoran mumbled as he stood. A soldier, who was behind him, gave him a hard shove.  
  
"You will apologize properly and address her as Your Majesty or Princess Sakura!" Said the guard firmly. Syaoran muttered something under his breath, which brought on another shove from the soldier, this time sending him into the wall.  
  
"It's okay." Said Sakura, nodding at the guard. "Just take him to his room."  
  
"Princess Sakura," said the guard, looking nervous, "He was coming down for water, he was supposed to work in the garden afterwards."  
  
"I said take him to his room." Said Sakura, taking her formal tone again, "He needs his rest. Give him double water rations and the same to Eriol tomorrow." The guard nodded and, pushing Syaoran ahead of him, scurried down the hallway in the opposite direction that she was headed. Sakura was so tired of Syaoran, the kinder and more lenient she was to him, the nastier and ruder he was to her. Then she made up her mind. She walked purposefully to her room and gathered a few things into a bag. Then she settled on her bed for a good night's sleep.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Sakura hid a yellow bag behind her as she walked up to the guards that were guarding the front gate. "There is a stranger in the hallway," she said, trying to act flustered, "He wouldn't listen to me or leave like I told him. Remove him from the castle grounds, now!" She said, ending her last word with a huff. Both of the guards nodded and proceeded into the castle.  
  
Sakura smiled and sighed. How much easier could this get. She walked happily, but quietly, toward the gates leading outside the castle grounds. She moved to the right of them and spotted what she was looking for. She kneeled down and widened the hole a bit by clawing at the ground and pulling at the metal-wire fence.  
  
Sakura felt an aura behind her whirled around. She sighed relief when she saw only Syaoran standing above her. She stood and wiped off some of the dirt that now covered her pink dress. "Servant boy," she said, suddenly taking a serious tone, "Please don't tell anyone, I must leave the gates unseen!"  
  
Syaoran grunted. "Why shouldn't I tell?" he said defiantly. He eyed her suspiciously, if he told of her departure to anyone, he might get something for it. Besides, there was nothing he would like better than to get Sakura in trouble without facing any himself.  
  
"I can't stand this life anymore!" Sakura pleaded, "You must not tell anyone. I want to never come back,"  
  
Syaoran looked at her strangely. She was leaving? For good? "Where will you go?" He asked, "Do you seriously think you would last a day in the normal, unpampered world?"  
  
"If you promise to let no one know, I will tell you where I am headed."  
  
"Fine." Syaoran nodded. There was ONE more thing he would like more than to see the princess in trouble. It was to see her leave... for good!  
  
"I am headed westward, to the town called Naanji-Yen. It's a small town, though it is very far from here." Syaoran nodded. That was good enough for him. He gave her one, last, menacing glance before hurrying off to the garden.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Sakura was walking at a fair pace through the woods beside the castle. Her dress was constantly getting caught on branches and weeds and anything else that it touched. Branches and other overhanging plants scratched and rubbed against her face, causing rashes and cuts, and the same for her arms. Finally when she noticed it becoming colder and darker, she sat in the clearest spot she could find and prepared to rest. Everything around her was wild; it all fended for itself. Everything was for itself, as long as it survived nothing else had to matter. This concept frightened Sakura, especially as she pulled out her only meal from her sack and realized how unprepared she had come.  
  
She ate quietly, using slow movements as not to disturb anything that might be lurking in the dark. When she finished, she lay down on a thin blanket she had brought, pushing worries on where her next meal would come from to the back of her mind. She shivered uncomfortably as she felt a chill course through her body. She was cold and had nothing to cover up with. She finally pulled her clean clothes from her bag and covered herself the best she could with them.  
  
She wondered why she felt so lonely. She had never had any friends anyway, why should she feel alone now? Was it just because she was cold and worried? She shrugged off the feeling and curled up tighter, pulling her knees under the blanket and sighing.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Syaoran was sitting in the garden, his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms encircling them. He despised Sakura, so why did he feel betrayed? Maybe it was just her kindness to him for the while before she ran away, or maybe it was something else... He stared unseeingly at the weed-invaded flowers in front of him, and then shifted his gaze to the thick gloves that covered his hands. He let his vision blur and his body relax as his head worked hard to bring him an understanding.  
  
He felt something hard strike his back and glared up at a soldier standing over him. "Hey, brat, you're supposed to be pulling weeds!" Syaoran said nothing and gave the soldier one of his 'death glares'. "Get to work!" Shouted the guard, kicking him harder. Syaoran stood up, obeying the soldier with as much dignity as possible, and kneeled down by the flower bed and began pulling at some of the weeds. Satisfied, the soldier walked back to where another one was standing, keeping watch over the garden and Syaoran.  
  
Since Sakura had disappeared, the day before, the castle was in chaos. Many of the servants were suspected to have something to do with her disappearance and were put in prison for the time being. Because of this, there were fewer servants to spread the work among. All of the servants were exhausted and being overworked and many had collapsed (leaving even MORE work for remaining servants).  
  
Syaoran kind of wished that Sakura hadn't left; he wanted things to be back to normal. But he was contented enough just to not see her face or do anything for her to feel that it all was worth it, just for her leaving.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Sakura had been walking all day, she could see the sun falling below the horizon, but the moon was very bright that night and she was able to see very well. She hadn't eaten at all that day, having not brought any more food along, and was exhausted from not having many rests. She wandered now, having found an area to rest for the night, trying to find some wild berries or anything else edible. She managed to find an area containing a fruit that was familiar to her, though she didn't know its name. She ate hungrily until she felt she might be sick if she ate another berry. She wasn't quite full, but she couldn't eat too much of the same thing.  
  
Sakura found her way back to her chosen spot for the night and huddled up very much in the same way as the night before. As she drifted off into a restless slumber, she wondered how things were faring at the castle. A pang of worry hit her as she thought about the soldiers that her father must have sent after her; they would be traveling at a much faster pace. She dreamt that night about the amber-eyed servant that she had left at the castle. She smiled in her sleep as she saw the light scowl that never left his face.  
  
When Sakura woke up in the morning, her muscles ached and a slight dizziness settled in her head. She stood up uncertainly and walked around a bit to recover her wariness and balance, but the dizziness wouldn't go away. As she set off that morning to walk further, her head began to throb. She felt unusually cool although it was very warm outside and her throat burned when she drank from her water container. She made slow progress because of her discomforts and tripped often because of her dizziness and the way her dresses caught on things.  
  
Sakura was walking through a particularly tricky area in the wood when she tripped over her dress when it caught in a prickly bush. The first thing that hit was her left arm, and it hit hard against a rough rock. She lay where she was for a few minutes, clutching her arm and breathing deeply, waiting for the sting to go away. She had no other choice but stand up and keep going, though her arm hurt very badly, was bleeding from a deep cut, and was possibly broken.  
  
She stopped early, lacking the energy to find food, so she suffered through her hunger and fell immediately asleep. She woke up late in the night, she was cold and hungry and thirsty, but her muscles were stiff and she felt that she would rather just fall asleep and not bother with anything else, including bandaging her arm, which was once again beginning to bleed freely. Her sleep was cool at times, hot at others, but it was hardly sleep at all. She woke frequently, having the strength to do nothing, feverishly lying there and waiting for sleep to come again and wash away the throbbing in her head and the sharp pain that constantly shot through her arm.  
  
She felt the night would never, end, it dragged on and on, endless wakings and sleepings, it was all a constant blur. Finally, though, she fell into a deeper sleep that lasted through the morning and into early afternoon.  
  
She awoke coughing and sputtering as something warm and soupy went down her throat. She heard something scutter backwards in surprise and her first thought was "Soldiers!" When she opened her eyes, she was staring at another pair of brown ones. She tried to scream, but it caught in her throat and she was only able to let out a soft squeak. The figure standing over her sat down beside her and watched her closely. Her vision was blurry, but she mad out the person to be a boy about her age with dark hair and brown eyes.  
  
Sakura knew someone like that, but who was it? Was he from the castle? Or was he the son of that tree that she had been talking to earlier? Her head was too confused to tell and she gave up trying. For the first time she felt something tight on her arm. When she looked, she saw that her arm was tightly bound, leading her to assume that it had been broken. Her fever had lowered a bit, and her head didn't throb as badly, but she was very hot. She tried dizzily to push the blanket off of her, but the boy just pushed her hands away and pulled them up further.  
  
She felt a cold metal touch her lips and she held them tightly closed. When it prodded, though, she opened them, and the warm liquid she had choked on early was once again sliding down her throat. She drank more of the soup to please her caretaker and fell asleep once more, too tired and sick to worry about herself being alone with him, or being found by the soldiers, or those evil green tree people that were chasing after her...  
  
The boy sighed and shook his head as Sakura's breathing became even and she fell asleep. She smiled at her sleeping figure and fed the fire that was heating her medicine. He knew that she would never make it on her own, and it looked like he had made it to her just in time.  
  
Thanks guys, for the reviews! (again!) I am wondering if I should keep going. This story is getting cheesy and this chapter was the worst yet. Should I drop it? Anyway, I have been lagging on my other story, Love is Like Sakura.  
  
Thanks to Emily for reviewing, I updated, and I hope you weren't disappointed with the lameness of this chapter.  
  
Thanks to IwillmarryJustinTimberlake, I hope that I am still doing alright with their characters. I'm trying, but in this situation it gets hard! Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you like the story. Oh, and it was the cherry on top that made me update! (just kidding!)  
  
Thanks to Lugia-mew for reviewing, small, nice encouragements are nice! Thanks! Glad you like it.  
  
Gomen for taking so long to update, and I hope, if I continue, that my chapters will get better. Thanks for your reviews; they are the only motivation for me to go on. If you want me to continue, I will, but if it is too bad, I might as well not bother. Arigotou! 


	4. Difficult Journey

*Flashback from last chapter*  
  
The boy sighed and shook his head as Sakura's breathing became even and she fell asleep. He smiled at her sleeping figure and fed the fire that was heating her medicine. He knew that she would never make it on her own, and it looked like he had made it to her just in time.  
  
*End of flashback*  
  
Difficult Journey  
  
Sakura awoke with a scream, but after glancing around, all the trees were in their proper place; it was a dream, that's all it had been. She sighed and gently placed her burning head back down on the "pillow", which was a rolled up blanket. Her fast breathing returned to normal and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If only she had Tomoyo beside her. "T-tomoyo?" She murmured. She felt a hand her forehead, and drew in a quick breath as it was replaced by something icy cold. She shivered and brought the blankets up to her chin.  
  
"Are you OK?" asked a familiar voice.  
  
Sakura couldn't place the voice, but she wasn't afraid. She assumed that it was Tomoyo and mumbled a "Hai." before falling asleep again. She woke up hours later feeling less feverish and her mind was back to normal, though still a little cloudy. "N-nani?" Sakura asked, sitting up slowly, "Wh- where.?" She groaned and put a hand on her head. Someone gently pushed her down into a laying position and she was again looking at the boy with dark hair and eyes. "Ah," she jumped a little, but recovered and looked closer at him. She lifted herself on her elbow a bit. "You-you're the. the servant boy!" She decided. He folded his arms over his chest and frowned.  
  
"Yep, and lay down." She lowered herself to the ground again and rested on her pillow. Syaoran scanned her face, "I don't know what you were thinking by coming here alone and completely unprepared."  
  
Syaoran went on talking, but Sakura didn't hear. She looked around, she was in the same place that she had fallen asleep in first. It was a small area almost clear of trees with moss-covered vines strung across the few trees and stones that were scattered like feathers across the ground. She was caught, enchanted by the beauty and fairylikeness of the place. She looked down and was tempted to touch a small whisp of moss lying near, but as she reached forward, she heard an angry tone coming from in front of her.  
  
"Huh?" She looked up to Syaoran who was glaring deeply at her.  
  
"I was TALKING to you, and I thought you were listening!" he said angrily, looking away. Sakura said nothing but looked, surprised, at his face. No one had used such a tone with her before; it was frightening. "And I thought I told you to lay down!" He finished the sentence with a huff. Sakura dropped quickly to the ground once more, surprised because she hadn't even noticed she had sat up.  
  
Syaoran looked at her seriously and sat down in front of her. "The king and queen have sent almost all of their soldiers to pursue you." Syaoran said, "Many of the servants are being held prisoners for being suspected as aiding in your 'escape'. Why don't you just go back?" Sakura looked down and her head sunk deeper into her pillow.  
  
"I can't," Sakura whispered, fixing her eyes on a single blade of grass. Suddenly she looked up at Syaoran with fear in her eyes and evident in her voice, "Y-you didn't bring the soldiers here, did you?!"  
  
Syaoran made his frown deeper and shook his head, "But they will find us soon if we don't either go back or run away. You have to make your decision."  
  
Sakura thought. She looked up and took a deep breath. "I-I want to try and make it to Naanji-Yen," she said, her voice as sure as she could make it.  
  
Syaoran nodded. "We will start in the morning. You should be better then, but now, eat." He gestured towards a bowl of something. "I brought along our more necessary provisions. We should be fine for week or so; we can then stock up at a near town or village."  
  
She picked up the bowl and a spoon that Syaoran handed to her and took a bite. She made a face. "Tomorrow," she said, "I cook."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Come ON!" Syaoran said, slinging the sack over his shoulder and pacing impatiently. Sakura was scrambling around, gathering her things into a bag, holding up her skirts as not to trip, and being very fussy. Syaoran gave a long, exasperated sigh. Sakura finally picked up her bag in both arms and walked to him. She passed him and began walking in front of him. Syaoran fell in step behind her and glared at the back of her head.  
  
Syaoran and Sakura walked in silence for a long while until Sakura finally spoke. "So, how did you find me?" she asked, "And why did you follow?"  
  
Syaoran looked uneasily at the ground. He was now leading, using his sword to cut down branches and such wildlife at times. He searched the ground for an answer, but soon found that he was on his own. He finally decided after a minute or so to say nothing, but the words tumbled out when Sakura asked her question a second time. "I. . . you. . . ugh. . . I just didn't think that you'd make it very far. . . you know. . . you've never been alone in your life. I found the path you took easily and found you asleep in the little clearing. Looked like I came just in time." He fumbled with a branch for a moment, using it as an excuse to stop explaining. When he was done, though, Sakura said nothing and he could tell that she was waiting for him to say more.  
  
Syaoran decided to change the subject completely. "Want to rest for a minute and eat a bit?" he asked pausing to turn and look at her. She was bent over, untangling the bottom of her skirt from a prickly vine. He bent down and yanked it free, blushing as he stood. Sakura blushed a little too and nodded. Syaoran sat down and beckoned her to do the same. Once she was sitting across from him, he began pulling some fruit from his bag. While he was doing so, he explained a few more things to her. "All the soldiers are looking for you. If we are going to get away, we're going to have to quicken our pace. They are on horses, we are on foot. The only advantage we have is a small head start." He handed an apple to her, which she bit into hungrily. "Are you up to it?" he didn't wait for an answer, but continued talking, "If the soldiers catch up to us, we're basically trapped. Unless we really get moving, we don't have a chance at getting away. They don't know where we are going, though, and that's also an advantage. But, the soldiers on horses have speed, and the ones who are on foot have dogs." He took a moment to take a bite. "If they catch us, I'm pretty much left for the gallows, but you'll just go back to your life."  
  
Sakura looked up. "Why do you say that?" she asked.  
  
"What?" Syaoran asked, puzzled, "What else would you do, besides going back to your life?"  
  
"No," Sakura looked down, "What they'll do to you."  
  
Syaoran looked surprised. Why did she care? "They'll not let me get off with aiding in your escape. I'd pay the ultimate punishment. If not the gallows, worse, maybe torture."  
  
"You seem awfully calm about it." Sakura said, a hint of anger in her voice. "Aren't you worried?"  
  
Syaoran looked around him. Trees, trees, green, grass, bushes. . . he sighed. There wasn't much to live for anyway. He answered her indirectly, "I wouldn't mind if we got caught."  
  
Sakura threw the rest of her apple off into the bushes and stood. She didn't look at him as she started walking. "Unless we want to get caught," she said, her voice revealing no emotion, "We'd better get going." Syaoran nodded, even though she wasn't looking at him, and headed off after her, slinging the bag hurriedly over his shoulder again, leaving his apple behind where he had been sitting.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
It was getting dark and Sakura stopped. "I have to get some sleep," she said, yawning, "Let's stop here." Syaoran shrugged and kneeled down and began taking blankets out of his bag.  
  
"You can only sleep for a few hours. I brought a lantern so that we can travel at night. We need to get as far away from your father's soldiers as we can." Sakura nodded and situated herself with a few blankets on the ground. Syaoran stood and leaned against a tree. He closed his eyes and let the night sounds lull him to half-consciousness. He was jerked awake as his shoulder slipped from the trunk of the tree he had been leaning on and he began falling over. He caught himself before he hit the ground with his hands and sat down rather shaken and felt for his sword on his back. He gasped and sat up and checked again, but all that he felt was an empty sheath.  
  
He found his lantern and lit it with a match. He checked to make sure that the princess was still sleeping in her proper place and then set off following unfamiliar tracks that he had a feeling would lead him to his sword. He followed the tracks for what seemed to him about fifteen minutes before he found it laying beneath a pile of sticks and bramble. He sighed in relief and put it into its sheath. He started back, following the tracks from which he came.  
  
Syaoran came to an abrupt stop. The tracks of the animal blended with the tracks of many horse hoof prints. His breath was gone and he kneeled down and examined them. Determining by the blurriness of them, they were moving fast, and these were not wild. Not only were horses in no way native to these lands, but he could tell by the tracks that they were wearing horseshoes. He breathed again, but in short, fast gasps. He began running, following them, with only the safety of Sakura in his mind.  
  
Syaoran was looking down at the tracks and therefore tripped on a low-to- the-ground branch. He bashed his head on a rock as he flew head first into the ground and groaned as he tried to sit up. Succeeding, he put his hand to the side of his head and felt warm blood trickling down. His head was spinning and he fell after every one of several attempts to stand. Finally, he sat down and leaned up against a tree, his eyes closed. He had not brought his things with him and therefore had nothing to stop the bleeding. He felt himself beginning to fall asleep and quickly shook off his weariness knowing that to sleep now might mean to sleep forever.  
  
Syaoran tried to stand again, this time gripping a strong branch before he fell to the ground. He held himself up and, after steadying himself a bit, stumbled off again after the hoof prints.  
  
He walked about five minutes before finding himself on all fours on the ground, panting. He sat again and pressed a hand against the wound that allowed already much of his blood escape. He pulled himself to his feet again, pressing himself to go on. Finally he made out a warm glow only fifteen or twenty yards away and staggered closer. His breath caught, though, when he saw by the light of his lantern and the fire ahead many soldiers, fifteen at the least, gathered around a sleeping figure in a dress. The king's soldiers had found them after all.  
  
Syaoran began walking again, he tried to get to the group, but fell. Dizzy and exhausted as he was, he was unable to get up again. He glimpsed the firelight and the soldiers and a blurry figure of Sakura once more before closing his eyes and losing all consciousness.  
  
Author's Corner:  
  
Thanks for the reviews! I think I'll keep going. After a writer's block, I finally got some ideas and got the next chapter.  
  
Thanks to IwillmarryJustinTimberlake, I like cherries!  
  
Thanks to Lugia-mew for reviewing, thanks for wanting me to update!  
  
Thanks to madi-moon, I'm really glad you liked it, thanks for adding such a nice comment!  
  
Ja Ne until next chapter! 


	5. The Soldiers of Monasho

*Flashback from last chapter*  
  
Syaoran began walking again, he tried to get to the group, but fell. Dizzy and exhausted as he was, he was unable to get up again. He glimpsed the firelight and the soldiers and a blurry figure of Sakura once more before closing his eyes and losing all consciousness.  
  
*End of flashback*  
  
The Soldiers of Monasho  
  
Syaoran awoke to the soft, quiet sounds of night. He tried to open his eyes, but as soon as he tried, searing pain coursed through his head and he just lay still. He listened to the sounds of the soldiers moving around and after awhile he assumed that morning had come, judging by the sounds and tasks that he could hear were being done.  
  
"Fine. I'll come back to the palace with you." Syaoran opened his eyes and gasped. It was HER voice, he had almost forgotten. . . He groaned and worked to prop himself up on his elbow. His whole body was stiff and any time he moved his head he had to bite his lip to keep from crying out in pain. He finally got up on his elbow, in a position somewhere between lying and sitting. He looked about, but saw only blurs. His vision was too blurry to make much out; all he could see clearly was a few soldiers and something close to a pink blur that was the princess.  
  
"I won't cause any trouble, I just. . ." Syaoran heard her voice again.  
  
"Sakura. . ." He whispered. He heard chuckling coming from above him, but didn't bother looking up. He kept his eyes fixed on the pink blur. He could tell she was very far away and could only hear a bit of what she was saying. It sounded like she was agreeing to go back to the castle; she probably didn't have another choice. He wondered why she hadn't defended herself. Then he began blaming himself; she probably hadn't defended herself because he wasn't there. Because he was stupid and went off, leaving her alone.  
  
Syaoran's thoughts were interrupted by a booming voice above him. He looked up and saw a tall, muscular soldier standing above him with a few others around. The man chuckled. "So this is the boy?" he said in an amused voice.  
  
Another soldier answered him, "Yes, General." So this was the general. He was the head dude that would decide what to do with him. Syaoran tried to put himself higher into a sitting position, but only succeeded in losing his balance on his elbow and sliding back onto the ground, looking up at the general.  
  
The general chuckled again and spoke to Syaoran. "What is your name, boy?" he asked. Syaoran only looked at him, hoping that he wouldn't be made to answer. "Boy? I asked your name. You will answer me!"  
  
Syaoran glared at the general. "Syaoran Li." Syaoran answered his question weakly, but with his usual coldness.  
  
The general couldn't help smiling at the puniness of the boy's appearance but he talked in a serious tone, "Well, Syaoran, if I may call you that, I assume you were with her when she left?" The general put emphasis on the word "her". Syaoran shook his head slightly, deepening his glare on the man standing over him. The general smiled like he didn't believe him. "I am General Keichiro. You will call me by that name. We are taking you and the princess back to the castle." Syaoran noticed for the first time a long row of horses tied to stakes in the ground. General Keichiro motioned for a few soldiers to come and told them to bandage up Syaoran's wound. "He will ride with us back to the castle."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Later in the afternoon, Sakura was wandering around the soldiers' camp. She had woken up the night before surrounded by them. She had looked around for Syaoran, but him being gone, she decided not to use magic and to give in. She was afraid something would go wrong, and was afraid to have no one with her when she used her magic. The soldiers said it would be a one-day one- night trip back to the castle on horseback. She had agreed to go back without trouble, but warned them that she had no intention of staying.  
  
Sakura wondered where Syaoran was and where he had been. Was he okay? Where did he go? Was he the one that brought the soldiers to her? She shivered and shook the last thought away. Then she thought about what would happen to him when they got back to the castle. The words Syaoran had said the day before still wandered through her thoughts and she hoped that Syaoran was far away and that he wouldn't come back for her if he found out that the soldiers had come.  
  
The general had said that they would ride back to the castle on horseback; that they would ride until nighttime, rest for a few hours, and then make it to the castle by sunrise. She noticed a short (compared to the soldiers) figure sitting against a tree a ways off. She made her was swiftly to him but stopped when she realized who he was.  
  
"Syaoran!" she gasped. He looked up and glared at her, his typical greeting. Truth have it, Syaoran was overjoyed and relieved to see the princess safe and near, but he had no intentions of letting her know that. "What happened?" she asked, sitting down in front of him and eyeing the bandage on the side of his head.  
  
"Nothing. I'm fine." Syaoran grumbled, staring at her coldly.  
  
"We're being taken back to the castle." Sakura said. Syaoran gave her a hard stare, one that said he already knew. She was becoming nervous under his deep glare and any concerns that she had for him earlier melted away. Sakura sighed and stood. "Well, I guess we're leaving in a few minutes. . . I'll help them get ready." With that, Sakura walked away to a group of soldiers who were getting the horses prepared.  
  
"Is all ready?" General Keichiro's voice boomed, "Then let's be on our way!" All of the soldiers moved from where they were to the horses and began mounting themselves on their bare backs. There was much bustling around and several times Sakura was offered to be helped onto a horse. Sakura politely declined each one, and found a horse that seemed to like her especially.  
  
Syaoran struggled to stand, but his legs collapsed under him and he again sat against the tree, unknowing of what to do. His head throbbed terribly and a surge of pain would shoot through his head when he made almost any sort of movement. His body was still very stiff and he hoped that he would be just left behind; no better fate awaited him at the castle.  
  
Sakura was about to pull herself up onto the horse when she saw Syaoran still by "his" tree. She ran over to him and asked him if he needed help. Syaoran looked up at her, a hint of relief touching his face, but it quickly transformed into one of his death glares. She sighed and gently took hold on one of his arms. She pulled it around her shoulder and helped him stand. She let him lean on her and she walked with him to the horse she had been going to mount before. With the help of another soldier nearby, she got Syaoran onto the horse (though he almost fell off immediately) and mounted it herself.  
  
Syaoran dizzily held onto Sakura's waist while she convinced another soldier that she could steer her own horse, then, at a cue from the general, all the horses began galloping ahead. Syaoran groaned softly as he remembered why he hated horse riding. Every stride, every bump coursed through Syaoran's body causing excruciating pain in his head and his stiff back. Sakura noticed this and slowed her horse, remaining a bit behind most of the others, but always (because of orders from the general) with a few horses behind.  
  
Syaoran felt that the ride lasted forever. He struggled every moment to remain on the horse's back and did his best to endure the constant pain. Syaoran was almost unconscious with weakness when he felt himself being pulled off the horse and let out a soft groan as he was set onto the grass.  
  
Sakura looked down at Syaoran and sighed. She would do everything in her power to keep him safe when she got back; he had done so much for her, it was the least she could do.  
  
Sakura helped change Syaoran's bandages and bring him water, and to Syaoran, just having her beside him eased his pain a bit. Somehow, her soft pink aura was. . . well. . . comforting. He said little to her, but once or twice they had held small conversations. By the time it was time to leave again, he was feeling much better and he was confident in his ability to survive the final hours on the journey back to the castle.  
  
Time went by and he still held tight to Sakura as they rode through the countryside, but even though minutes seemed like hours to him, he still knew that it was taking longer than it should. He became a bit suspicious, but didn't have the energy to ask any questions. More suspicions arose even as they galloped down a steep hill; he caught a glimpse of a few elk in a field nearby, a species that was never seen in the Kinimoto Kingdom.  
  
"General?" Sakura's soothing voice swept gently into the air. After a few moments, General Keichiro was in stride along side them. "Are we nearing the destination?" Syaoran thought he saw a smirk on his face, but the general looked away before he could confirm it.  
  
"Soon enough, Your Highness," Said General Keichiro with a nod, "We will be there soon enough." He turned to look at them again. "How is the boy doing?" he said giving a nod in his direction. Syaoran boiled with rage and clenched his teeth to keep from yelling.  
  
"Better." Syaoran answered for himself after calming, giving General Keichiro one of his best glares. The general glared back, a pitiful, unpracticed glare that signified his own defeat. Satisfied, Syaoran turned his head away and focused again on the land in front. To tell the truth, Syaoran was feeling much better. The throbbing wasn't as bad and the pain from the bumps wasn't as vivid. Syaoran was almost enjoying the view, though his fear of horses still didn't let him be.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Almost an hour later, all of Syaoran's suspicions were confirmed. They reached a wide river and were given the signal to wait as they prepared to cross. Syaoran recognized the river, it was the Gohemansai River, known for its shallowness and roughness. The soldiers all stopped and dismounted by the riverbank and awaited further commands, but Syaoran was a mess of anger and confusion.  
  
"General Keichiro!" Syaoran yelled standing by a confused princess. The general approached him with his usual pride and posture, eyeing Syaoran with an expression that made Syaoran a bit uneasy.  
  
"Yes, what is the matter, boy?" The general stopped in front of him with his hands clasped behind his back, and ever-calm expression on his face.  
  
Syaoran's face turned a deeper red as he struggled with himself to keep his temper. "This is NOT the Kinimoto Kingdom!" he shouted. Sakura gasped softly and her expression changed from confused to bewildered. "This is about as far away as you can get from it!" he yelled, "What are you up to? Why aren't you taking us back to the castle?" Syaoran's rage melted down a bit and his tensed body relaxed.  
  
Sakura took a step back and looked both Syaoran and the general up and down. "I have every intention of returning to the castle." General Keichiro answered flatly.  
  
"Liar!"  
  
The general smirked, knowing he could hide no longer. "I never said that it was the Kinimoto castle that we were returning to. . ." Sakura grabbed Syaoran's arm as he rushed forward at the general, still not sure of what was happening. Syaoran struggled against Sakura's grasp and broke free, but stopped in his tracks as the general began glowing a deep purple. Suddenly a ball of dark energy surrounded Sakura.  
  
"Sakura!" Syaoran yelled and reached out to her, but by the time he reached her, the ball of energy was gone. Sakura looked at her hands.  
  
"Nothing. . . feels different. . ." she said. Syaoran turned to the general and looked at him in disbelief. He felt a dark purple aura coming from him and scolded himself mentally for not noticing it before. Realizing his situation, Syaoran drew his sword. The rush of excitement that he felt before a fight filled him now, he held his sword in fighting position and glared at his target. General Keichiro grinned and drew his sword as well. "I'll fight too!" said Sakura, putting her hand on her key which hung loosely from her neck and stepping beside Syaoran.  
  
Syaoran nodded but jerked his head in her direction a second later and stared. Sakura looked at him also and wondered what was wrong. "Sakura. . ." Syaoran said, his eyes growing wide. The familiar warmness that surrounded her was gone, and as he extended his magic to hers, he felt nothing. "Your aura is. . . gone!"  
  
Sakura's face paled and she took a step back, tightening her grip on her key. "AH!" Syaoran faced the general again, but this time without his sword. General Keichiro snickered and sheathed his own sword, gripping Syaoran's tighter. "M-my sword!" Syaoran stared in disbelief and tried to think, but he was too surprised and lost without his sword to think clearly.  
  
Sakura couldn't believe what Syaoran had said. Her aura. . . was. . . gone? She whispered the chant for releasing the key while gripping it tightly, but didn't feel the usual rush of magic. She looked up just in time to see the general point Syaoran's sword at Syaoran's throat and wondered how Syaoran had been disarmed so quickly.  
  
Syaoran caught his breath as the cool steel of his sword touched his neck. Everything caught up to him in a rush and he realized for the first time clearly all that had happened. He suddenly felt dizzy and became aware once more of the throbbing in his head. He let out a quavering breath as he realized how quickly he could be killed at this moment. He remembered his magic cards, but also that he had stuffed them in his bag to protect them from his blood-drenched clothes the day before.  
  
Syaoran gave General Keichiro the deepest, angriest, coldest glare that he had given anyone and knew that it hadn't gone to waste. The aura coming from the general was strong, and Syaoran knew he wouldn't match up to him even in a magic duel. For the first time in a long time, Syaoran felt completely helpless. Sakura's magic was gone, and Syaoran was at the mercy of a dark magician. Syaoran struggled to keep the coldness in his eyes, but to no avail; his eyes reflected the fear and helplessness that consumed him.  
  
Author's Corner:  
  
Thank you Julia and Tania for reviewing- I loved your review! I like reviews that say more than just normal reviews; your review told me what you liked about my story, and why it was original. That's a very special review to get. Thanks a lot!  
  
IwillmarryJustinTimberlake, thanks for the review! I'm waiting on these cherries.Thanks for reading my fic, I'm overjoyed that you like it!  
  
madi-moon, thanks for reviewing! I hope Syaoran stayed safe enough for you; don't worry, I wouldn't do anything too awful to him, he's a precious character to me, too! (  
  
Syth Colbalt, thanks for reviewing! Sorry about Love is Like Sakura, it may be awhile before I update that, but I won't just leave it. I'll update once I have something! I'm glad you like my stories, I hope you keep reviewing! (I hate writers blocks just as much. . .)  
  
This chapter didn't turn out as well as I hoped, gomen. I don't know what's wrong, just something about it just isn't as good as the others. well, I hope the next one comes out better! Oh, and for those of you that don't know where this story is going, I don't really either! I have a few ideas of what's going to end up happening, but basically I make it all up completely as I go. Strange. . . but it's my way of writing! Thanks SO much for all the reviews! I love them all so much!! 


	6. Gomen, Delay

Gomen, but I will be leaving tomorrow, Sunday, for camp. I will not be back until Friday evening. Gomen asai, but obviously, I will not be able to update until Friday or Saturday. :(  
  
Signed, DDG 


	7. Escape

*Flashback from last chapter*  
  
Syaoran gave General Keichiro the deepest, angriest, coldest glare that he had given anyone and knew that it hadn't gone to waste. The aura coming from the general was strong, and Syaoran knew he wouldn't match up to him even in a magic duel. For the first time in a long time, Syaoran felt completely helpless. Sakura's magic was gone, and Syaoran was at the mercy of a dark magician. Syaoran struggled to keep the coldness in his eyes, but to no avail; his eyes reflected the fear and helplessness that consumed him.  
  
*End of flashback*  
  
Escape  
  
Syaoran suppressed his deep breathing and steadied his shaking body. He felt a coward; he had never been afraid of death before, but now that he faced it, there was nothing more terrifying. He heard a sharp breath drawn behind him and realized the perilous situation Sakura would be in if he died. "What is it you're after?" Syaoran hissed.  
  
"Yes," said the general, smirking, "I had almost forgotten." General Keichiro snapped his fingers and behind Syaoran, Sakura screamed. Syaoran tried to whirl around but gasped and froze when the flesh of his neck met the steel of the general's sword.  
  
The sword cut a wound in Syaoran's neck, not very deep, but enough to cause a lot of pain. Syaoran held his breath as the general slowly pushed the sword a bit deeper, just enough to show Syaoran how serious he was. The general laughed as Syaoran clenched his teeth and winced, every moment expecting the sword to cut all the way through.  
  
Sakura tried to pull the hands away from her but two soldiers held her still. The soldier reached into a pocket and pulled out the Clow Book. "Stop!" She yelled and tried to grab the book away from him. He just laughed and shoved her backwards and she landed in a heap on the ground. She looked up and saw soldiers standing above. She pulled her knees in to her chin and cried softly. She was so confused, and now she could hear groans of pain coming from Syaoran's direction and there was no way she could help either of them. Her magic was gone, the Clow Book was gone, and so was all of her hope.  
  
"What. . . did. . . you do to. . . her?" Syaoran gasped, his hands covering the front of his neck. He struggled to stay standing and kept his head lowered to mask his face that was scrunched up in pain. The front of his shirt already had blood seeping down from his collar, and his hands were covered in it. His legs were weak and shook from his weight.  
  
The general had now sheathed his sword and was watching Syaoran with interest. "We took what we wanted," answered the general, turning away from him, "The Clow Book and all of the cards."  
  
"WHAT?!" Syaoran tried to yell but began coughing blood. His knees buckled and he fell to his knees coughing and sputtering. Sakura turned around upon hearing his yell and stared at the scene in disbelief. How was this happening? Why did this have to happen?  
  
Syaoran's neck burned and hurt worse than he would have ever imagined. He tried to breathe, but he couldn't stop coughing. His head swam, but he quickly regained his senses and looked at the general, steaming when he saw his back turned. "Bind them both, and keep soldiers on guard," said the general with his back still turned. Sakura and Syaoran both glared at the perfectly groomed back of General Keichiro's head as he walked gracefully away, both helpless to do anything about it.  
  
Syaoran suddenly doubled over and began coughing again, he pressed one fist against the ground while holding his neck with the other. His forehead touched his knees and the burning in his neck was unbearable. The aching from earlier was now a skull-bashing throb and he wished for nothing but to be away from it all.  
  
Sakura watched in horror as he coughed and groaned, doubled over with his face hidden in his knees. She wanted to comfort him, but she was too frightened to think of anything that might help. She struggled against a few soldiers who had come to bind her. She was frantic and confused and weighed by the hurt that Syaoran was feeling. She eventually lost heart and let the soldiers bind her, giving them no trouble, but anger and hurt boiling inside her and threatening to overflow.  
  
Syaoran didn't resist the soldiers at all; he knew it was pointless in his condition. The soldiers led (or dragged, in Syaoran's case) both of them a bit farther from the river where there were still trees scattered about. They then binded their ankles. They bound Sakura to a tree, but took pity on Syaoran and spared him such more discomfort; they kept the ropes on his hands and instead leaned him against a tree.  
  
Syaoran sat on his knees with his back leaned against a thick, rough tree trunk behind him. His once green shirt was now soaked in blood in the front, and the ends of his sleeves as well. The burning had since lessened but the throb only increased. When he wasn't coughing, it was impossible to get enough air.  
  
Syaoran groaned softly and leaned his head against the trunk and closed his eyes. He slept fitfully until night fell. When he awoke, the burning in his neck and the throb in his head had become undistinguishable from each other and had dulled into one weary blur of pain that engulfed his whole body. He closed his eyes once again, but kept himself awake by sheer will. Sakura needed him and he wouldn't let her down. He worked painfully to pull him hands free from the rope, using many techniques such as hooking the rope on a stick firmly planted in the earth or trying to rub it against the roughness of the tree to cut through it. Eventually, these plans failing, he began trying to knock his dagger from its sheath on his belt.  
  
Sakura had given up trying to free her hands from the rope awhile ago, having only succeeded in rubbing the skin on her wrists raw. She thought over the events of the day carefully, knocking the panic and fear that she felt to the back of her mind where it wouldn't interrupt her thoughts. She sorted each confusion out one by one and eventually had almost everything clear.  
  
Sakura just couldn't understand why the General hadn't taken Syaoran's magic as he had hers. His power surpassed that of many, and she wondered how General had considered it that of no worry. She thought of reasons, she was determined to clear up everything. She realized and remembered that ever since the general had seen Syaoran, Syaoran had been very hurt and weary. Assuming that this would weaken his aura just as much, the general had never seen Syaoran's power at it's peak; therefore the general had no way of knowing the extend of Syaoran's magic. Sakura even remembered the weakness of his aura when she had seen him sitting against the tree in the soldier's camp.  
  
Sakura missed the familiar glow of the magic inside her. She missed feeling Syaoran's soft green aura and her own pink one. She missed the feeling of control she had over it, she hated the feeling of helplessness that she had without it. She didn't know how the general had done it, she just knew that her magic was gone, that could no longer feel or use it, and Syaoran hadn't felt it either; he was the first to notice her missing aura.  
  
A hand clamped over Sakura's mouth and she tried to scream, but the grip of the hand suppressed it. She looked at the figure before her and relaxed. "Syaoran?" she whispered. He grunted softly and began cutting through the ropes that bound her with his dagger. Once she was freed, he motioned for her to be quiet and pulled her away from the area where the guards slept.  
  
"We've got to get away before morning; we only have a few hours!" Syaoran whispered. Sakura nodded and began walking towards the soldier's camp. Syaoran cursed under his breath and grabbed her wrist.  
  
"What are you doing?" he said frustratedly. She gave him a superior look and continued walking purposefully in the same direction she had been. Syaoran decided to follow; he knew that there was no reasoning with Sakura. She walked for a few minutes with Syaoran reluctantly following before the line of horses came to view. Syaoran then understood and felt stupid for acting the way he did to Sakura.  
  
Sakura walked slowly over to a white horse with a black mane and tail. She placed a hand softly on its velvet nose and whispered soft words. After a minute or so, she untied the rope that tied him to the pole and led him away from the horses. Syaoran backed away as she brought the horse closer. "Come on." Sakura whispered.  
  
"I. . . can't we. . ." Syaoran's face was pale and he looked nervous. Sakura found it hard not to laugh, she hadn't noticed how frightened of horses he was before now. She whispered something to the horse and looked up at Syaoran with sparkling eyes. "It's okay, he won't hurt you," Syaoran hesitantly took a few steps toward the horse, but backed up even further when the horse snorted and lifted a hoof momentarily. Sakura grabbed his arm and forced him onto the horse's back. Then Sakura mounted the horse before Syaoran could fall off and took a fistful of the horse's mane in each hand.  
  
They started in a soft trot until they were out of earshot from the soldier's camp, then they broke into a gallop (to Syaoran's dismay). "We're going to the castle," Sakura said, and when Syaoran didn't answer, she added, "To get help, we have to get the Clow book back." Syaoran had a million objections, but he was too busy gripping Sakura and trying to keep himself on the horse.  
  
Syaoran's discomforts were much the same as his ride previously. The only difference from before was the lessened throb in his head and a burning, sore, throbbing feeling that spread from his neck into his chest. He was breathing fine now, though he was still very tired and weak. His energy had been spent on freeing his wrists from his rope bonds and getting Sakura set to go, so despite everything else, he eventually fell asleep leaning forward against Sakura's back.  
  
Sakura watched in awe as the sun came over the horizon, shedding golden light upon the lands which she was riding and painting everything with glittering warmth. She slowed the horse to give herself a more peaceful observation and was unable to tear her eyes away from the scene even to look ahead to where the horse would be stepping. Every moment became prettier and the surreal picture before her brought a million rays into her heart so that she thought it might burst with joy and hope.  
  
Sakura almost woke Syaoran just to see the sunrise, but before she did, during her second thought, she knew that someone such as him would not appreciate something so delicate and beautiful as the sun. She began to think of Syaoran as she gazed past the horizon and his coldness and his glares. Once, and only that once he had called her Sakura, and he had never smiled once, not to her, nor anything else (that Sakura had observed). She sighed. She had tried and tried but had only succeeded in deepening the scowl that masked his true nature by showing kindness and concern. She wanted so desperately to be accepted by him, to let him realize the person she had become, and the person that through his help she could be.  
  
Sakura never woke Syaoran because she believed he would rather sleep. He had had a VERY rough few days and he was hurt and weary. She would not take away his rest at a time he so desperately needed and desired it, but truth tell, Syaoran would have loved the sunset and cherished it. He would have related its beauty and tenderness to Sakura's flower-like appearance and would have matched its bright, calming colors and suddenness and radiance and breathtakingness to that of hers.  
  
Syaoran slept through the morning, and Sakura took advantage of the time that he slept to gallop at top speed; Syaoran would be terrified if he were awake, and he never fell off because even in his sleep he held his death grip on her waist. Sakura knew that they were barely ahead of the soldiers, every so often, she even heard yells from behind. Their only advantage was their head start and that the soldiers hadn't seen them yet, for they had no advantage in their path; the soldiers surely knew such an obvious plan.  
  
Syaoran woke up feeling stiff and tired. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he knew that he had already slept too long. He let out a small gasp that concealed a whimper when he saw the ground rushing past below him. Sakura realized this and slowed the horse considerably. "Sorry," she said, "But we're barely ahead of them." Syaoran said nothing, he just focused his eyes ahead at the dreary, thick fog of the morning and steadied his fast-beating heart.  
  
"How close are we to the castle?" asked Syaoran after a few silent minutes. He was still sitting behind Sakura with a tight grip on her, but he was less drowsy and sitting up a bit straighter. The wound on his head was almost healed, and the throb was much less of a problem. He had grown accustomed to the shorter breaths that accompanied the wound in his neck, and had learned to ignore the pain that spread from it, so he had, at the time, forgotten the ache in his body and was feeling better that he had in a while.  
  
"About three hours at this pace." Sakura answered matter-of-factly. Syaoran was puzzled by her tone and decided to try again.  
  
"If we sped up?"  
  
Sakura sighed. Syaoran realized that she wasn't upset at him (to his relief), that she was only stressed by what was on their tail. "We'd have to go full speed to reach it in an hour, and that's if we outrun the soldiers."  
  
"Syaoran firmly leaned himself against Sakura's back and closed his eyes. "Go."  
  
Sakura looked back at him in surprise, but then shrugged and kicked the horse into a gallop, and soon after, an all-out, full speed run. Syaoran found that after bracing himself and closing his eyes, the ride wasn't as hard as he imagined. They rode on for another half-hour, in the dreary, fog- clouded light of the morning, barely ahead of their pursuers.  
  
Sakura gasped, and Syaoran felt her tense. He looked up just as the top of the castle became visible below the hill which they were riding. "We. . . got there faster that I thought." Sakura said. Syaoran suddenly looked behind him. He himself kicked the horse from the lessened speed that they were at and yelled, "They've seen us!" Sakura urged the horse even faster and told it comforting things. Syaoran felt the heaving sides of the horse's body and felt the sweat on its back. Suddenly his fear rushed back added with the possibility of the horse collapsing. He managed to keep his eyes open and focus ahead, though his trembling was obvious to Sakura.  
  
Syaoran gasped as an arrow whizzed past Sakura's shoulder. It took Sakura a second to realize it, but she paled when she did and tried to urge the horse faster. The horse whinnied and struggled to quicken, but only succeeded in slowing the pace further. Another arrow flew just past Syaoran's leg, and he began to worry even harder about the lasting out of their luck.  
  
The castle gates were becoming closer and closer, only about two minutes would it take to reach them. . . but it would take less for an arrow to strike them. They reached the castle gates and they opened for them. Sakura slowed the horse once inside and screamed for them to be closed. The guards all heaved and pulled to close them, but it was taking too long. She saw that the soldiers were going to make it into the castle gates and ignored people and guards rushing at her and asking questions and ran into the castle dragging Syaoran behind her. Once inside, Syaoran jerked from her grip and gave her back a cold glare before following her further. She ran up a long spiral of stairs and through hallways and passages, overturning soldiers, guards, and servants as she went, certainly causing a commotion. Suddenly she stopped in front of a tall, golden double-door, and Syaoran ran into her. Sakura ignored him and began pulling on one of the doors. Syaoran took hold of the handle also and helped her pull. They both succeeded in opening it far enough to slip in, and did.  
  
A tall, gray man was sitting at a desk, marking away at papers and scrolls with paper and ink strewed around him. "Father!" Sakura yelled. The man whirled around and stared at Sakura in disbelief, oblivious to Syaoran's existence.  
  
"Sakura?" he said weakly.  
  
"Get your men! We need your soldiers! We are being attacked by foreign soldiers!" Sakura said quickly. She then ran to him and grabbed both of his hands. "I'm sure they will send more soon, we must prepare to battle!"  
  
"We don't have time to prepare!" Syaoran said, for the first time making his presence known, "A group of twenty at the least is here now, wielding swords and arrows. They are after the princess, and are backed by an army of thousands not far behind."  
  
The king nodded, understanding the urgency and sent a servant to warn the generals. He then turned to Sakura to talk, but Sakura motioned for him to wait. "How do you know about an army of thousands?" she said, motioning for a quick answer.  
  
"Seriously, Sakura!" Said Syaoran coldly, "Do you think twenty men are going to barge into the castle without a strong army at back?" Syaoran spoke quickly, not wanting to waste more time than necessary, "They were there behind them the whole time. I had a feeling, but now I'm sure." Sakura looked at him blankly before sighing and turning around.  
  
"Sakura!" Syaoran grabbed her wrist and felt a surge of energy. "Your aura! Your magic!" Sakura gasped as she felt a familiar glow of pink inside her. Syaoran's expression turned grave. "Why was it returned?" Sakura closed her eyes.  
  
"I don't feel the general's aura!" she said finally, "That's why. He was killed, so my magic was returned!" Syaoran shook his head. It seemed too simple. . . but. . .  
  
"We must hurry!" said Syaoran hurriedly, "If I can borrow a sword, I could be of help."  
  
"Me too," Sakura said, "I need nothing, but I must fight." She gripped the key that hung from her neck firmly and gave her father a determined look before rushing from the room. Syaoran gave the king a short bow before following her.  
  
Author's corner:  
  
Thanks for the reviews, gomen for the long update wait. I got some ideas while at camp, though, so the chapter came faster than I thought.  
  
Thanks to madi-moon, for reviewing, I hope it didn't take too long.  
  
Thanks to Julia and Tania, I LOVE your reviews! You give such nice, long, descriptive reviews, they are very encouraging and help me to know what I am doing right and hint on what I need to improve. THANK YOU SO MUCH!  
  
Thanks to IwillmarryJustinTimberlake, I liked the cherries! To tell the truth, I DID get a cold a camp. . . but I'[m not blaming it on you and your cherries. I had a bit of difficulty on this one, my writing style jumped a lot, I'd like to apologize for that. I didn't mean to. . . I just wrote certain parts at certain times in certain moods, so it may switch from describing character prospectives really well to describing scenery and emotion real well, or it might switch to being fast-paced and less descriptive. . . It probobally was hard to follow. But thanks for the review!  
  
Thanks to Ying Lang, I had trouble and doubts about giving Sakura's aura back so quickly. . . But I REALLY needed her to be able to fight just now. . . but it seemed too easy. I may or may not add a twist concerning this. . . But I really like your nice long review. The general actually isn't the guy from the castle, because the general has a dark purple aura, while the evil aura from the castle was gray. The guy from the castle is a lot stronger and will show up later. . .  
  
Gomen to all for the lack of S+S moments. . . I just can't leave the tension-between-the-two concept just yet. I promise that they'll get together eventually, though. You know they will! Well, I hope you liked this chapter, though it jumped moods so often and especially the last part was crummy, but review anyway, please! I really appreciate reviews more than you can imagine, they are the most exciting thing about the story to me! Ja! 


	8. Delay

Sorry, I won't be able to update until Friday, Aug 29. So very, very sorry.  
  
Signed, DDG  
  
~Servant of the Sea~ 


	9. Kinimoto's Battle

*Flashback from last chapter*  
  
"We must hurry!" said Syaoran hurriedly, "If I can borrow a sword, I could be of help."  
  
"Me too," Sakura said, "I need nothing, but I must fight." She gripped the key that hung from her neck firmly and gave her father a determined look before rushing from the room. Syaoran gave the king a short bow before following her.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
Battle  
  
As Sakura and Syaoran rushed through the halls, Kinimoto's soldiers, ready for battle, began pouring out of the castle. As Syaoran had predicted, there was now an army of thousands awaiting them. Swords clashed, and bowstrings taut, and a battle that had never been dreamed by the Kinimoto Kingdom began.  
  
As Sakura ran straight past a turn to the right, Syaoran ran down the turn. Sakura stopped and caught up to him. "This way!" Syaoran stopped and looked her in the eye.  
  
"Sakura," Sakura's heart jumped when she heard him speak her name again. She remembered, also, that just a few minutes ago, in the king's chambers, he had also called her 'Sakura' once or twice. Was it just stress from everything happening that made him forget to not use it? Was he holding back her name on purpose? If he was, just now it seemed like he was letting out in the same way.  
  
Syaoran knew Sakura was going to object to him going into the battle now that she had time to think. In the king's chambers, she was determined and flustered, now that she had a chance to think about it, she'd do her best to hold him back. "I'm going to the weapon storage room. I need a sword to fight with, you stay here, in the castle, you shouldn't go out and fight."  
  
"No! I'm going to fight, I have my own magic and I know I can be of help!" She said, then taking care of the first part of Syaoran's comment, "You should be the one staying here, You're hurt, you've been feeling awful the last few days, and you'll put yourself in a lot more danger than I will," she finished.  
  
Syaoran realized how they were both trying to keep the other from fighting; he was doing to her what he was trying to keep her from doing to him, vice versa, and lots of other ways that could get confusing after awhile. "Gaaah," he said, giving an exasperated sigh, "Don't worry about me. We DON'T have time for this! Just. . . we can both be accountable for ourselves, and ONLY ourselves. Just don't do anything too stupid." With that, Syaoran, still worried for Sakura, ran down the hallway and made his way toward the weapon storage.  
  
Sakura looked after Syaoran with worry. He was still really weak and a little pale. What if he collapsed in the midst of all the battle or something? No, he was stronger that that, but she knew that without his full energy and magic that he was much more vulnerable than he was used to being. She also knew that even just a couple of magical spells could drain all of his energy and knock him out because of his weak magic that with her magic she could now sense was even weaker than she had feared.  
  
She gave a last glance down the hall which Syaoran had just disappeared and took her own way down the passage straight in front. She only prayed that she would see him again, and that they hadn't made a huge mistake by going separately.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Syaoran ran down the hallway, now with a sword in his hand. He heard footsteps behind him and whirled around in a blocking stance just in time to repel a sword that would have chopped his neck. His heart jumped as he realized his close call, but he recovered in time to block another strike from his opposer. He saw a man in front of him dressed in a red uniform with gold lining, the same as their previous captors.  
  
Syaoran easily cornered the soldier and held his sword at his throat. He couldn't believe that a soldier had already made it into the castle. "Who is your leader?" Syaoran demanded, holding his sword closer to the soldier's neck. The soldier dropped his sword and pleaded to Syaoran with his eyes for mercy. "Answer me!" Syaoran growled.  
  
"M. . .Monasho. . . Kaito Monasho!" the soldier stammered. Syaoran muttered something under his breath before turning and dashing down the hallway, leaving the terrified soldier behind. Syaoran ran to the side door of the castle that led to the garden, one he had used often when he was weeding or watering. He dashed out the door and saw no one in the garden. He jumped the gates and saw before him the densest area of the battle.  
  
Yells and sounds of clashing swords and whizzing arrows filled the air. Syaoran gripped his sword tighter and glared at the scene before him, allowing his anger to boil and give him extra strength and motivation. He yelled a battle cry as he ran into the thick of the fight, blocking blows and randomly swinging his sword at unsuspecting enemies. He worked to dispose of as many soldiers as he could, hardly fast enough to block all of the blows coming at him and still have time to deliver his own. Enemies fell before him and he realized with a smile how much better he was than almost all of Kinimoto's soldier's. ~ ~ ~  
  
Sakura ducked from a sword and touched her staff to the ground. In the pause of attackers, she yelled a short chant and a burst of pink energy emitted from her staff eliminating all near enemies. She leaned on her staff as her legs suddenly wanted to give out and steadied herself. She was using up a lot of her magical energy, she knew, and she didn't know how much longer she could hold out. She ducked another attack and barely found the energy to stand tall again. She didn't know what would happen if she collapsed.  
  
As Syaoran fought the never-ending flow of red-clothed soldiers, he noted a burst of pink become visible every so often, and found new motivation each time with the remembrance of Sakura. After awhile, he decided to make his way to her, he was almost positive it was her.  
  
He fought the soldiers that stood in his way, easily killing some, but spending almost minutes fighting with others, but it still took him a long time. He was nearing exhaustion and every swing of his sword weighed him down a hundred more pounds. Finally Sakura came into view and he quickly finished a soldier he had been fighting. As he drew nearer, he saw her face drenched in perspiration, much like his own, and noticed her leaning on her staff, only dodging attacks, and not delivering any herself.  
  
Sakura looked at him in disbelief. "Syaoran?" she breathed, "You're alright!" Syaoran nodded and walked, slowly and limping out of weariness, to Sakura protectively as an arrow came too close.  
  
"You okay?" Sakura gave a weak smile and nodded. "Come, let's get you off the battlefield." He took Sakura's left arm tightly with his right hand and began weaving his way between battling soldiers, as quickly as he could with his aching body. Soon they reached the garden, which was also now swarming with soldiers, the majority being the enemy. Syaoran watched the Monasho soldiers in dismay as they streamed in the castle through the garden gate.  
  
Sakura felt a sickening feeling when she noticed how many of the enemy soldiers there were, and it worsened as the majority of them were slipping into the castle. She noted the tighter hold that Syaoran maintained on her wrist as he observed this, and also his even slower pace.  
  
Suddenly, Syaoran let out a cry and gripped Sakura's hand so hard that it became numb. Sakura watched with panic as Syaoran lifted his left hand and yanked an arrow from his right shoulder. He hissed as the pain surged once again at his quick motion and struggled to keep his feet but fell to his knees.  
  
Syaoran looked up, breathing hard, his vision blurred from the pain. He looked around frantically for Sakura, not aware that he still had her wrist in his grasp. Suddenly, though, Sakura's hand slipped away, and he jerked his head in her direction. "Sakura!" he gasped.  
  
Sakura didn't have wits to react when she felt herself being torn away from her injured friend. She had let her guard completely down and she scolded herself when she thought of how alert and protective Syaoran would have been if that had happened to her. She watched him look, panicked, in her direction as she was being dragged away. Syaoran cried in pain again as a soldier wrenched his injured shoulder to turn him around to face him. The soldier hastily tied his hands with ropes and threw Syaoran's sheathed sword from its hilt. To both Sakura and Syaoran, the rest of their capture was a blur. Sakura recalled only yells and sounds of fighting around them and being pulled mercilessly behind their captors, in a panicked daze. Syaoran remembered much the same, but it muddled with weakness and pain, tripping and falling, being kicked back to his feet, and Sakura's terrified face.  
  
Long after they left the area of the battle, they were pulled roughly behind the three Monasho soldiers. Sakura long since had regained her alertness and very well knew of the goings on around her. After walking for what seemed like hours, the castle became lost in the distance. Her legs felt like they would collapse under her, but Syaoran came first.  
  
Syaoran stumbled again and fell to his knees. Frustrated at his slowness and clumsiness, the soldier guiding him along kicked him in the side. "Get up! We have a long way to go yet!" He yelled angrily. Syaoran didn't, couldn't, and just let his head droop lower and his eyes which had been halfway closed close all the way. He was too tired to move, too tired to feel pain.  
  
Author's corner:  
  
Thanks to all of my reviewers! I was surprised and very happy to get so many reviews for the last chapter! This chapter was pointless and boring and short, gomen. I'm sorry Syaoran got hurt AGAIN, but it had to happen for the next cahin of events. If Syaoran hadn't been injured, the soldiers would have never caught them again. If they hadn't come to the castle in the first place, the war wouldn't have started. If they didn't get captured, they won't later be able to go to the castle, and if they don't go to the castle, they'll never get the Clow book back. So, that's basically my reason, though I'm getting somewhat repetitive.  
  
Julia and Tania, Thanks a lot. I'm really glad you like the plot, and the other things. ( I'm glad I'm doing okay with the length, though I'd say this last chapter just seemed to drone on. I am also happy that you think I do well with 'transitioning into new scenes'. I always think that's important.  
  
Thanks to AnimeObsessionFantasy, You'll find out soon enough!  
  
Thanks to Ying Lang, I just love you people with long reviews! :D Sorry bout Syaoran. . .  
  
Thanks to Onigiri Momoko, thanks for reviewing!  
  
Thanks to MidnightFire_eagle, I'm really glad you like it, thanks for the enthusiastic review!  
  
Thanks last, but not least, to IwillmarryJustinTimberlake, I'm glad I'm still doing okay with their character. I really appreciate how faithfully you review each chapter, and I hope you weren't disappointed by this chapter, though I'm sure it was disappointing.  
  
Sorry it took so long, sorry I couldn't update for weeks. This wasn't very long, though I HOPE the next one will be. I REALLY love your reviews and look forward to them. That's really the only reason I'm still writing this. My enthusiasm for this story dwindled once I got started working on my fantasy (see below paragraph), though I still enjoy writing Princess of the Servant, so if you want my work to be worth it, review! Really, would you want to disappoint that screaming little button below?  
  
I'm already started on the next chappie, though, and it may or may not be what you expected. Oh, and if you like my stories, I will have a nice fantasy novel/story coming up on fictionpress.com soon. It won't be completely by me, though, my friend and I expand on ideas, I type the chapters out, she helps me amend and edit them. The first chapter will be out somewhere between two and four weeks. We've been preparing the small bit we have for almost a month, now, and that's only the basic story line and (almost) the first chapter, and the third chapter. Well, enough on that, now, so ja! 


	10. I'll Let You See the Stars

I'll Let You See the Stars  
  
Tomoyo rushed through the dim hallways of the servant's level, messily holding her bunched skirt up to her knees as she ran. Reaching a familiar door, she stopped and tried the doorknob. Seeing that it was unlocked, she opened the door.  
  
Eriol didn't open his eyes or look up from where he was sitting, seemingly murmuring a spell. He lowered the staff he was holding a bit. "Come in, Miss Tomoyo," he said in a barely audible voice, pausing his chant for a moment. Tomoyo stepped in the doorway and closed the door softly behind her. She stood for minutes staring down at Eriol until finally Eriol put down his staff and stood.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tomoyo. Were you needing anything?"  
  
"I came to make sure you were alright," Tomoyo said, but then she turned her gaze from his face to his staff. "But now I'm curious."  
  
Eriol smiled and sat down on the edge of his cot, reducing his staff to a golden key as he did. "I was summoning help."  
  
"Help?"  
  
"Yes, from the two guardians of the seal." Eriol's eyes closed, knowingly. "Cerberus and Yue."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Sakura gazed wistfully at the boughs of the tree above that obscured her vision of the stars in the night sky. Automatically her hand reached up to finger the little pink key that always hung from her neck, but as it groped, she remembered it being ripped from her neck by the soldiers. There was nothing she could do, now, with nothing to harness her magic.  
  
She gave a hopeless tug on her wrists which were tied behind her, to the sides of the tree. "I wish I could see the stars," whispered Sakura to the recently awoken Syaoran who was tied beside her. Syaoran was tired, but he couldn't fall asleep again just yet. He had collapsed earlier, and had woken up here feeling bruised and sore; apparently after he had been unconscious, the soldiers had still tried to get him to stand.  
  
His head was foggy and his whole right shoulder and arm was stiff and throbbing and covered in dry blood. It took him a moment to realize Sakura's words, but when he did he looked over at her to see her still looking at the thick branches above as if she could will them to move apart. He looked over at the Soldiers who were keeping a close eye on them, one only a few yards away, but the other two from a distance.  
  
"Hey," he said weakly to the nearest soldier. The soldier waited for him to continue. "Will you take her away from the tree for a moment, she can't see the stars from here, that's all she wants." An amused smile broke across the soldier's face.  
  
"Ya hear that?" He called to the others, "She wants to see the stars!" He chuckled. "Well," he said directing his words now at Sakura, "I can't deprive a beautiful lady of a night like this, can I?" He looked up at the sky, "Yup, they sure are shinin' bright tonight! Well, a couple of well supervised minutes couldn't hurt. You'd be lucky I'm not one of them over there!" he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the other soldiers, "I'm nice and sympathetic, too soft they tell me, but if it were anyone but me, you wouldn't get as much as beam of light from those stars! Here ya go now. . ." He began unfastening the knots from the rope and let her stand and stretch.  
  
"What about him?" asked Sakura, looking over at Syaoran. The soldier chuckled again.  
  
"Well, that sure no lady there! He gets what comes to him, now he should be happy with the boughs above his head. Chances are, he wouldn't have them if it started to rain. That's off the subject, so hurry and get your glimpse of the stars before the others come over and take away the fun."  
  
Sakura wandered a few feet into an area clear of trees and sat down softly on the grass. She leaned back and sighed, gazing at the brightly shining stars up in the night sky. Syaoran watched her happily from his starless place, for once forgetting his discomfort, and was unaware of a smile creeping across his lips. Sakura sat for a few more minutes, twirling a blade of grass between her fingers with her soft face lifted to the twinkling heavens. When the soldier announced 'time up' and she turned around, she immediately noticed Syaoran's smile.  
  
"You smiled," Sakura said with wonder, a small one breaking across her own face, "You've never smiled before!" Syaoran turned twenty shades of red and quickly turned his face away. It was true, he knew, in fact the last time he smiled was about two weeks ago when he gazed at her while she slept, before that, he couldn't remember. Somehow Sakura just had that affect on him, she always seemed to make him want to do things he had never done, she made him want to say things that he'd never thought to say, she made him want to laugh and cry at the same time. When he looked back up, she wasn't in the same spot, but being bound once again to the tree beside him.  
  
"Thank you," Sakura said softly once the soldier had moved away again.  
  
Syaoran blushed again, "W-why? For what?"  
  
"For smiling," Sakura looked kindly into his eyes, "Smiling for me." Somehow, the look that Sakura gave him then made him want to say a million things, he wanted to throw his arms around her (unfortunately they were tied to a tree. . .), he wanted to do anything to make her happy. Overwhelmed by the strange feeling of helpless emotion, he stared blankly at her.  
  
"Sakura," He hesitated a bit and looked down, but caught her gaze again with his confused brown eyes, "Just tell me when you want to see the stars, and I promise. . . I promise I'll let you see them, no matter where we are or what we're doing, I'll let you see the stars." Syaoran never after knew what came over him or made him say those words, but he knew that no matter what, he'd keep his promise. He knew that no matter what he'd never let Sakura down or let her get hurt again. Sakura also saw the promise in his eyes, his deep amber eyes that looked into her own, bearing confusion, due to what, she didn't know, but compassion more than anything. She had never seen him bear such a look of care, but she loved it, and she wished that he would never break their gaze.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
When the morning came, Sakura and Syaoran were very bruised and sore. Sleeping against a tree in such a fashion was not very comfortable. They set out walking again very early and they both lasted until noon when they began to stumble again. Sakura was breathing hard and was struggling to keep up with the soldier pulling her along by a rope that bound her wrists in front of her. Her dress was dirty and tattered beyond reason and her shoulders and head drooped with exhaustion. Syaoran was in no better state, and had blood-soaked close also to account for.  
  
Syaoran was dizzy with loss of blood, and his shoulder was still bleeding. He sighed and lifted his head a bit and glimpsed the road ahead. The road was dusty and laid with stones, and it led almost straight up into the mountains. He groaned as he saw how steep it became the closer it got to the mountains. Once it got about halfway up one of the mountains, it turned and led across the side of it, which was rocky and uneven, posing an even harder struggle for the weary captives.  
  
Syaoran stumbled a bit as a particularly strong pang of dizziness with him and ended up on his knees. Syaoran felt the soldier come up behind him and grasp his shoulders firmly. "Get up!" Syaoran looked behind him at the soldier and glared.  
  
"You're the ones who decided to shoot me with an arrow!" he said angrily. The soldier humphed and forced Syaoran to his feet with his hold on his shoulders.  
  
"We didn't shoot you, we just hit you two while you were down. We had been keeping and eye on you for awhile, just waiting for something like that to happen, but we got an even easier catch than we imagined!" He ended the last sentence with a sneer. And gave Syaoran a push from behind.  
  
Sakura looked sympathetically at Syaoran, the soldiers hadn't treated her nearly as cruelly as they were him, and he was in a much worse state, with a gaping, bleeding wound in his shoulder. She managed a sigh that seemed to ease her burning lungs for a moment and willed herself to keep walking though her legs screamed their protest. How could such a beautiful, and cheery morning onlook such a horrid time? She stumbled to her knees and was pulled on by the soldier leading her by a rope, much as they had done the day before. Even the song of her favorite bird couldn't ease the dreariness she felt, so she walked on in her daze of weariness.  
  
The day dragged on, bringing them both to the point of collapsing once again. None of them had said a word in a very long while, for their lips were almost too parched to do so. Finally the soldiers sat down in a shady area near the side of the road and engaged in a boring conversation. Two still held firmly to Sakura and Syaoran's ropes so that they had no hope of escape. They were given a few sips of water each and were allowed to doze a bit, and they did much of the latter. The next four days went on in this way, early waking mornings, hot, unbearable afternoons, and evenings spent uncomfortably tied to trees.  
  
Every night except for one where she fell immediately asleep, Sakura went out to look at the stars. Convincing the soldiers to let her do so was reasonably harder for Syaoran than the first time, but he held himself to his promise. "I'll let you see the stars," These were the words that echoed in Sakura's mind that kept her going during the day. Syaoran had said nothing else like that since, but she caught him sending affectionate glances in her direction every so often, and at those times he would look away, embarrassed.  
  
Sakura found herself thinking not of him as the "Servant boy" any longer, but as the handsome young warrior that had saved her, as a friend. Her heart was warmed every time he called her Sakura, which was often now, and it made her so happy. All her life she had been called "Princess" or "Your Majesty", but never Sakura. Even her older brother called her "Kaiju" when he was around, which wasn't often.  
  
Syaoran knew not what to think of the brown-haired emerald-eyed girl that stole his thoughts so often. To him, she wasn't a princess any longer, no, she was the beautiful young maiden that had stolen his heart, the brave girl that looked at him so tenderly, the person he would give his life for. She was, to him, worth both living and dying for. No matter what he said or thought, he couldn't evade that fact. He felt affection toward her that he had lost control of a few nights past. He didn't know why he had said those things, but so often, he wanted to say similar things again. He knew that he couldn't hold back much longer, and had already found himself calling her Sakura, and even smiling every so often.  
  
"You two had better keep up, or you'll get a whipping for it when we get to the castle. Believe me, I won't forget it neither. No more of your complaining and stumbling, just get along at the same speed as us and you'll get a lot of a better time." The soldier was leading them to the area across the side of the mountain that was littered with boulders and ridges and hills and was in all a very difficult and rough landscape. Syaoran didn't know how he'd make it across, and Sakura was almost in despair.  
  
The day went on, and despit the soldier's warning, they both continued to grow weary and slow down their steady pace. About a day after that, they had conquered that area and were now overlooking a wide stretch of plains that led to a large, dark castle in the distance away. Two days they were told it would take, but they dreaded these two. When finally they reached the castle, the soldier that seamed to lead the others called a password in a strange language up to the gate keepers. Once let in, they mad their way to the front entrance which was tall and menacing. Sakura got an eerie feeling when she looked at the place, and the roughness and darkness of it frightened her more than she could tell. Soon they were both led to the king of this strange country, as Syaoran said, Kaito Monasho.  
  
Now, their trial with the king should have been a big event that would be written with great detail. But Sakura and Syaoran were laiden with weariness and could hardly tell what went on, for they were half-asleep themselves. Syaoran did note, however, that the aura, which he could hardly feel in his weakness, was dark and gray, the same he had felt a day long ago in the castle. The time spent there seemed to take an eternity and from the same account no time at all, but after they were being led through the hallways of the strangely familiar castle. Somehow, the hallways seemed familiar, and though this would seem impossible, they both felt it, but shrugged it off to make way for their other worries.  
  
They were eventually shut in a dark, cold room after climbing an enormous flight of stairs. The room had no windows and was pitch black, though even if there were windows, it was the darkest time of night and it would have been as dark despite. Before the soldiers left with their torches, however, they chained both of their wrists and ankles tightly with cold, rusty chain that bit into their flesh like knives.  
  
Sakura and Syaoran sat in individual corners of the 'room', if it could be called that, and left to their own thoughts. Neither of them had had food or drink all day, and were miserable. Syaoran felt hot with fever and he had completely lost use of his right arm and shoulder due to the neglection to the wound on his shoulder.  
  
"Syaoran," said Sakura softly, in a cracked, weak voice. She lowered her head and stared at nothing, for that was all she could see. Her emerald eyes were dark and tired and gone was the fire and sparkle that had lighted them before. Her eyes burned, but no tears would come. "I want to see the stars," she whispered, and Syaoran heard. The darkness cloaked everything, so Sakura's blinded eyes and tortured heart did not see the silent tears rolling down Syaoran's face.  
  
Author's Corner:  
  
Oh, I noticed a pretty big error in my last chapter, I put "The soldier threw Syaoran's sheathed sword from its hilt," which makes no sense. How can you throw a sword from its hilt? If you don't know, the hilt is the thing on the end of a sword opposite the point that you hold. The handle type thingie. What I MEANT to say, was "The soldier through Syaoran's sword from its sheath," now that makes more sense, now, doesn't it? Phew!  
  
Okay, if you are wondering about Yue and Cerberus, I seriously don't quite know where this is going. I have an idea about Sakura and Syaoran, in fact I have the basic structure of the next couple chapters already mapped out, but as far as Cerberus or Yue are concerned, I have absolutely no idea. Don't be surprised if it becomes a super lame concept, I don't know where they came from, but it seemed like a good lead, so I put it down without any thought to the future. Believe me, as far as they go, I'm just as confused as you are. Any ideas about that in particular are welcome and begged for.  
  
Okay, I updated a little quicker than normal because at the time I put up the last one, I had already made about a fourth of this one, so the next one will take longer to put up. I thank you so much for the reviews for the last chapter, and I hope you continue reviewing! Like I said, the reviews are the only thing holding this story up. Unless you want an unfinished story, review! I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound like a threat, *sweatdrop* but I really need the reviews to keep writing!  
  
Julia and Tania, Thanks! I seriously live for your reviews. Sorry for leaving off so abruptly, I hope I did okay with picking it up and bringing it along. Yes, an original story, I find, is MUCH harder than a FF, much harder than I first imagined. It is easier to experiment with, though, and leaves twists and imagination more open. I am encouraged by your review, now if THAT last chapter wasn't a bit boring, than I know that anything more exciting than that won't be. Arigatou!  
  
Chibi Maylan, Thanks for the review! Sorry about Syaoran. . . but it needed to happen!  
  
Thanks, Onigiri Momoko, Sorry about Syaoran too! But you know they had to get captured, otherwise nothing else in the story could happen. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Thanks, AnimeObsessionFantasy, I hope you were satisfied with the chapter!  
  
Thanks to IwillMarryJustinTimberlake, I'm really glad you liked it.  
  
Okay, to all, the S+S will probably increase from now on. Maybe, maybe not. It may be a good thing to some, but a nuisance to others. I'm a hopeless romantic, (though my stories might not reflect that as much as you might expect. . .) and I'll do my best to make the ending of this story sweet. If you're wondering, I'm expecting this story to end up being 12 to 16 chapters long by the time it's finished. To tell the truth, I have no idea what the ending will be. I'm a lover of happy endings, so you don't have to worry a whole lot about that, though sometimes I can be surprising. . . just know that I'm not promising anything, though at the time I haven't put any thought at all to the ending, let alone a sad one, which is pretty sad because the ending is the most important part of the story! Well, I've spent WAY too much time on my 'Author's Corner' this time, so just get rid of me and click that little button below that says REVIEW! 


	11. The Secrets of Monasho's Castle

The Secrets of Monasho's Castle  
  
When Syaoran woke up, he felt worse than he had felt at any time during their whole ordeal. He was very ill and dizzy, and his arm was completely limp and unmovable, but not numb of pain. His head throbbed, but he was too dizzy and confused to really tell what it was that hurt, and it was much the same with the pain that pulsed from his limp arm and shoulder.  
  
As soon as Sakura awoke, she looked drearily around her at their dark room. It seemed to be about noon by her mental count. She was tired, but surprisingly not as depressed as she had been. The new day brought new hope and confidence. When she first looked at Syaoran, she thought he was asleep, but after a few minutes she found that he was not.  
  
Syaoran was sitting with his head down, looking unseeingly straight ahead of him. His eyes were dark and blank, but he stirred a bit and blinked when Sakura said his name. After a few moments, he looked up and stared at her.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked. Syaoran dropped his head again and sighed.  
  
"For now," he managed to whisper. Syaoran didn't feel okay at all. He could hardly move because his muscles were so sore. Every small movement weighed him down. He was very ill and his face was flushed with fever and drenched in sweat.  
  
"I can't stand this," Sakura said sighing, "We're helpless. We're chained and completely at their mercy. We can't get away."  
  
Syaoran lifted his head and looked into her eyes for a moment. Then he sighed like someone would before he did something he knew he would regret. He closed his eyes and began murmuring a spell. Unlike Sakura, he could use his magic without any magical objects. Of course, most spells he could only use with his magical cards, but he knew some outside spells.  
  
"You can't use magic!" Sakura said, recognizing his actions, "You're already so weak!"  
  
Syaoran went on chanting, and with his last word, the chains fell from both his and Sakura's wrists and ankles, and the lock fell from the door of their imprisonment. Sakura gasped and slowly stood. "How. . . did you do that?" she asked.  
  
Syaoran leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed, struggling to keep consciousness. "It's a difficult spell," he murmured. "Go find your key, then you must get the Clow Book," he said weakly.  
  
"Hai," Sakura said, then she stepped out the door and into the hallway. She made her way down the long flight of steps and down to the main level. She often had to duck behind large statues of evil spirits to avoid the priest- like figures and soldiers that roamed the castle. As she ducked behind yet another statue, something in her mind clicked. Suddenly she knew why the castle seemed so familiar. She reached hopefully around the base of the statue, hoping to confirm her theory. Her heart jumped when she found the little knob, and then with one quick motion, she jerked the knob to the right and pushed it in. To Sakura's delight, the wall behind her began sliding open.  
  
Sakura knew now that her suspicion was correct. This castle was an almost exact replica of the Kinimoto castle. Someone had obviously done a thorough inspection of the castle to create this. All of the Kinimoto castle's 'secret' passageways obviously were secret no more. Sakura felt very sure of herself now that she had discovered the secret of Monasho's castle, but it troubled her that someone had betrayed her father's secrets.  
  
The rooms of Monasho's castle and the structure were exactly the same as her castle, but the decorations surely weren't. Actually, Sakura was very grateful that there weren't statues of evil spirits littering the halls of her castle. Since she had found the secret door, Sakura knew exactly where she was. She knew that the secret passage she had just opened was a hallway that led to a hidden chamber, which often was used to contain important items at her castle. Taking a deep breath and hoping that no soldiers guarded the inside, Sakura stepped in and walked quickly down the dark passage.  
  
By the time Sakura reached the tall metal doors that guarded the inside chamber, she was breathing hark. When she opened the door, a dark room met her eyes. There was a lone table at the back that was lit by two torches at either end. In the middle of the table sat her key, still on its chain, alone and unguarded. Being as quiet as she could, she crept up to the table. Just as she was about to take her key, she felt a jolt of magic. She hesitated a moment, but then snatched up her key.  
  
Sakura screamed as the room around her began to swirl and fade. Everything went black, and the next thing she knew, she was sitting on a carpeted hallway, breathing hard. The hall was dim and lit only by torches on the walls. Sakura saw that she still had the key in her hand and put it around her neck right away.  
  
After a few seconds she stood and looked uncertainly around her. This area, whether it was still part of the castle or not, was unfamiliar to her. She didn't know how she got there, but assumed that someone had magically transported her. Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then summoning all the courage she had, she began to walk through the eerie hall. Sometimes she would see doors in the walls on either side of her, but they would disappear before she got close enough to touch them.  
  
Finally she reached the end of the hallway, which was not even visible from where she first started. She stopped before the door and reached out to tough the knob. Her fingers touched it, but it did stayed where it was rather than dissolving to nothing at her touch. Sakura took a firmer grip on the knob with her fingers and closed her eyes. By this time she was shaking, but after a mental count to three, she turned the knob threw open the steel door.  
  
Inside, it was pitch black. Sakura soundlessly stepped in, and immediately the door and doorway disappeared, leaving only blackness. Sakura didn't know what was going on or what to think, but she was scared. Suddenly a light shone in the back of the room. Then another to its right, then another. One by one, the room was lit by torchlight by the torches, which weren't really torches at all; they were more like fires that burned from holes in the floor, lining the walls.  
  
A deep, ringing laughter sounded from all sides of her, and she froze in terror. Then, in the middle of the floor, a figure formed from nothing. The dark gray aura hit her like a brick and she became so dizzy that her vision faded and she fell to the floor. She dizzily sat there as the laughter raged on until her awareness came back, then the laughter ceased. After a moment, she recovered from the strength of the aura and stood to face the man that stood now before her.  
  
There stood the king of the castle, Kaito Monasho. She vaguely remembered him from their trial when she and Syaoran first arrived, but he was more terrifying than she remembered. He wore many robes of black that fell past his feet and folded on the floor. Everything was lined with gold and bore a symbol of fire. He wore a huge, thick black and purple robe over everything, and it and his hair blew wildly in a wind that came from nowhere and seemed to affect only him. He wore a golden crown over his jet- black hair and on his forehead glowed a dark symbol that was similar to the Seal of the Clow, and it illuminated his dark, excited eyes.  
  
His staff was tall, at least double his height, and was black. A golden snake wound all the way up it and the large golden head of a cobra gleamed at the top. The cobra's mouth was open wide, and in between the fangs on the top and bottom of the mouth hovered a dark gas-like orb.  
  
Monasho smirked, his young-appearing face twisting into an ominous smile. He fingered his staff and took his eyes away from Sakura to look at it. "Sakura Kinimoto, Mistress of the cards. . ." he said slowly. Then he looked up and fixed his eyes on her and gripped his staff tighter. "The title does not suit you. Soon you will agree."  
  
Then Monasho held his staff far above his head and began murmuring a wordless spell. Gigantic versions of the Clow cards began appearing one by one like glowing paintings on the walls, until all of them were there, surrounding both of them. Monasho smiled confidently and raised his staff, holding it in front of him with his right hand; his right elbow bent, and his back straight; clearly indicating a challenge.  
  
Sakura did the same, turning her key into its staff form and readying herself for anything. She felt fear no longer; only the rush and excitement of battle. With a wave of his staff, Monasho sent a flurry of icicles flying at her. Sakura used her staff as a brace to lift herself into the air and she agilely avoided his attack. As soon as Sakura landed, another attack nearly hit her but she dodged to the side just in time.  
  
"Very good, Princess Sakura," said Monasho, unfazed.  
  
Sakura gasped as something from behind knocked her staff from her hand. Then many leaves and branches and vines began to wind around her. "The Wood!" Sakura said as it pinned her to the wall.  
  
"But, I'm afraid I'm out of time to play," said Monasho as he walked up to her struggling figure slowly. "I have always had a fondness for flowers," he said as he stopped a few feet from her. His staff began glowing and Sakura felt the pulse of his magical energy. "But I'm afraid this one must go. Pity for that boy that loves you so dearly. Oh well, he'll get over it in time. Goodbye!" Monasho reached his staff forward until the orb was inches from Sakura's forehead. Just before it touched her however, Monasho gasped and his eyes widened. He withdrew his staff and the vides around Sakura loosened and she used that chance to pull free and retrieve her staff. But when she faced Monasho, his attention was no longer on her; in fact, his back was turned.  
  
Monasho reached around with his left hand to the back of his right shoulder, where blood was seeping through his robes. He drew back his hand and looked at the blood that was now on it and smiled. "You have strength, boy. After all you've been through," he said quietly.  
  
Sakura looked, and to her amazement, in front of him stood Syaoran. He was panting, standing as straight as he could, and it looked as if the effort of holding up his sword was killing him. He was exhausted and in pain, but he bore a look of satisfaction at the wound he had dealt Monasho. Sakura gasped. "How did you get here?!"  
  
"When I transported you here," Monasho said, "I couldn't do it without him being transported also. There was some sort of invisible bond between you, too strong for even I to break." Monasho winced. "I shouldn't have underestimated him."  
  
Monasho switched his staff to his left hand and raised it. A stream of sharp crystals shot out at Syaoran, and he barely stumbled out of their way. After avoiding the attack he held his sword with the point on the ground, leaning against it. As another attack came his way, he was forced to evade that also, and this time fell to one knee, unable to support himself any longer.  
  
"Syaoran!" yelled Sakura as she saw Monasho about to deliver a finishing blow. She yelled a short chant, holding her hands and her staff above her head. She had no idea where the words came from, but she felt the magic coursing through every inch of her body. With her last words, she twirled her staff around once above her head and grabbed it firmly with both hands. With amazing strength she screamed "RELEASE" and slammed the bottom of her staff down with all of her strength.  
  
A wave of pink magical energy rippled from her staff and sprouted in every direction. She felt all of her energy draining as the powerful spell was dispersed around her.  
  
Sorry! G2G, I'll give thanks for ALL the reviews next time!!!  
  
Signed, DDG  
  
~Servant of the Sea~  
  
PS. Gomen for the long update wait! I'm REALLY sorry! 


	12. The Beginning

Okay, for anyone reading this, this IS the last chapter. I hope the S+S is sufficient!  
  
The soldiers outside the Kinimoto castle were few. Monasho's soldiers came one wave after another, no rest in between. For days they had been fighting, and they no longer had heart to take it. They were hardly holding out, although any of the soldiers that had entered the castle had been disposed of. Despair was in the hearts of the soldiers that faithful guarded their king, the soldiers that fought a hopeless battle.  
  
But suddenly, all of the soldiers of both kingdoms raised their eyes to the sky. Silhouetted in the sun were to winged figures. One had the body of a man, and the other of a lion. A roar sounded in the air, and all of the men of the Kinimoto Kingdom ran inside the safety of the walls of the castle. Once inside, none dared to gaze outside.  
  
A wordless song began, striking fear in the hearts of everyone present, save for one servant. Inside his room, Eriol smiled contentedly to himself. Explosions and screams were heard from outside, but only for moments before all became silent. Minutes after, the bravest of the soldiers ventured outside. What met their eyes were the two creatures that had driven them to hide. Across the field and gardens lay nothing, neither dead nor alive; no man except those coming out from the castle was present.  
  
The lion raised his head to the sun and roared. As he roared, a blinding light surrounded him, and as his call ceased, the light covered everything in sight. Everything that was ruined or destroyed by the battle was repaired, the wounded were healed, and every trace except for the dead Kinimoto soldiers was erased. As the light disappeared from the castle's area, it spread in other directions, moving in every direction the eye could see.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Sakura closed her eyes as a shrill scream erupted around her. As she opened her eyes, she became dizzy, and found herself on the ground. In front of her lay her staff, but the room around her began to dissolve. She felt Syaoran's aura and was relieved, but Monasho's dark aura was fading. The room became deathly silent. The very last trace of Monasho's aura disappeared, and Sakura gave in to the darkness.  
  
Sakura awoke as a bright light entered her dreams and she found herself in soft grass. She was exhausted. She was very sore and her limbs were almost too heavy for her lift. She collected her thoughts and eventually she remembered everything. The spell. . . she had felt it coursing through her for a moment. . . and then. . . a scream. . . yes, a scream. Then. . .  
  
She opened her eyes and somehow managed to halfway sit up. She looked around her, but the castle was gone and nothing was in sight save for the lone figure of Syaoran a few feet away. She felt panic arising in her for a moment, but she noticed his chest rise and fall as he breathed, and sighed in relief. For the first time she noticed something in her hand. It was the stack of cards, but no longer did they bear the symbol of Clow. They were pink, as was their book lying near, and instead of Clow's Circle, on it's cover was a similar pattern, but based around a star. She smiled. She had finally earned the cards for herself. Now they and the book matched her own key, and she needn't release the seal anymore, for the seal was her own.  
  
Everything was worth it. Not just the Clow Cards, no defanately not. She realized now that that hadn't been the purpose of her quest or her efforts at all, as it had not been the purpose of her spell. She had never felt so much magic, not in herself nor in anyone else. This magic had not come from her key, nor from the cards. It was neither of these, she realized, but her heart. She had reached her heart out, poured it into her chant; into her spell. No such magic could have been performed with any less love than the pure and unconditional love that she held in her heart.  
  
Weariness began again to flood her senses, and she half-consciously scooted closer to Syaoran. She smiled at his sleeping form and held the cards that she now fully possessed close to her heart.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Come! They must not be far!" The horse Toya was riding, which (coincidentally) was Sakura's, was becoming restless and impatient. Toya knew that Sakura must be near, for her horse surely had caught her scent. He had been riding for days with his company of soldiers with hardly any rest. As soon as Sakura's absence was noticed in the battle, and no body was found, Toya had immediately set out to find her. He was sure that she hadn't gone by will, for it was not her nature to leave her country in a time of war.  
  
"My lord, over the hill!" one of the soldiers took Toya's attention and pointed off into the grassy plain that stretched below them. "That must be the princess!" Toya's heart leapt. He was sure it was her; he could recognize her frilly dresses from leagues away.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Sakura awoke to the soft glow of a fire in the darkness. "Syaoran?" she asked fearfully. Immediately the brown-eyed boy was by her side.  
  
"You're awake!" he said triumphantly. In the dim light Sakura could see that he was well. His shoulder was bandaged and his face now had regained its color. "Monasho is completely gone! You did it!" he said excitedly. "I've been waiting for you to come to all evening."  
  
Sakura smiled and dizzily sat up. "Really? He's gone?"  
  
"Yes!!" Syaoran replied, "Everything, the castle and all are gone."  
  
"I saw that," Sakura said thoughtfully, remembering her previous waking in the empty field. "But," she said, looking around her at the soldier's camp. "How. . ."  
  
"Kaiju!" Sakura looked to her other side.  
  
"Oniichan?" Sakura asked in wonder. Toya came up and sat beside her, ruffling her hair a bit as he did so.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Just fine!" Sakura said. "You found us?" Toya nodded.  
  
"I was so worried. I'm glad you're found." He smiled at her. "Ready to go home?" Sakura looked down, but at length she slowly nodded. Toya, noticing Sakura's distress, changed the subject. "How are you?" he gestured to Syaoran.  
  
"Great," Syaoran said, his face bright, but no smile appeared on his face. He had yet to break that habit.  
  
It was the afternoon of the next day, and they had set out for their castle. Syaoran rode behind Sakura again, still holding tightly to her waist. He seemed dazed, but managed a cheerful nature that amazed Sakura. He seemed to space out often, and Sakura was worried for him. Not for his actions, but something else. At that moment, Toya expressed her fear for her.  
  
"Father thinks that the boy is the one who took you away." Toya stated simply. Sakura nodded. "He will not be lenient on him," continued Toya.  
  
Sakura remained looking ahead and replied, "I will tell him the truth. I will let no harm befall him."  
  
"You know as well as I that Father will accept no other conclusion than the one that he first thought of," Toya looked at her, "Nothing you say will soften his anger. He loves you too much for that."  
  
Sakura said nothing. Tears stung in her eyes. She knew Toya was right. There was nothing she could do.  
  
"Naanji-Yen is not far," Toya said, "That was your original destination, correct?" Sakura nodded absently. "It may serve your friend a better fate. Maybe we could spare to drop him off there?"  
  
Sakura looked quickly in his direction and Syaoran broke out of one of his dazes to stare at Sakura's brother. Did he say what he thought he just said? "You truly would do so?" asked Sakura. Toya only smiled slyly and didn't take his eyes off the road ahead. "We will rest this afternoon near Naanji-Yen," he yelled to his men, "It is an hour or so away from this place. Follow me." Toya sped his horse and left Sakura behind to take his place at the front.  
  
"Thank you Oniichan," Sakura whispered. Syaoran remained silent. He was staring ahead with an implacable expression.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Sakura lie in the soft blankets that surrounded her. Not as good as her bed at home, but certainly an improvement after the past days. Her arms were crossed under her head and she stared solemnly at the stars.  
  
'This,' Sakura thought, 'Will be the last time I see him.' She blinked back a few tears and let out a soft sigh. Syaoran would leave the camp just before sunrise and go into the town of Naanji-Yen which they believed would offer him more than what he would be allowed in his former home. Sakura digressed from her former thoughts for a moment; reminiscing of their past journey.  
  
She followed their journey in her thoughts from their first time together in the forest to the present. But as she finished, her stomach lurched as she remembered her former worry. What was the point of anything after he was gone? He was her purpose; nothing had purpose or meaning unless Syaoran was in it. Unfortunately, he was nowhere in her future.  
  
She heard the sounds of someone sitting down beside her. "It's beautiful," Syaoran commented softly. He looked down at her slender, relaxed figure before leaning his head back once again to look at the sky. Sakura sat up to be on the same level as him and nodded, an action that Syaoran didn't see.  
  
"Only a few more hours 'till sunrise," Syaoran spoke again, "See, the stars are fading." He turned toward her, but he couldn't see her face until she turned to him.  
  
"I know," she whispered shakily, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Fifteen years," she was beginning to cry, "It took me this long to love you," Sakura covered her face with her hands as tears began flooding freely down her cheeks.  
  
"How long will it take for me to forget you?"  
  
The words were sudden and unexpected, but Syaoran gently put his arm around her back and pulled her a bit closer to himself. He was fully aware of the words she had just used. The words that unmistakably said 'I love you'. Hardly consciously, he put his other arm around her and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Why forget?" Syaoran said softly, "When I am still loving you?"  
  
Sakura removed her hands from her face and gently pulled away. After wiping the tears from her face, she stared intently into Syaoran's eyes, which were hardly distinguishable from black in the dim starlight. Slowly, she turned away and looked at the stars. She leaned her head on his shoulder and gazed above her at the vast depths of the heavens, that no matter how hard she tried, she could not understand.  
  
How long they remained like that Sakura never knew, but soon she felt herself being awakened from a light sleep. Syaoran was above her, clad in traveler's attire, with a bag of his few provisions slung over his back. Sakura looked at him for a moment before closing her eyes and drawing a deep breath. "Already?" she whispered. When she opened her eyes, he slightly nodded.  
  
"Goodbye," Syaoran said quietly.  
  
"No!" Sakura said firmly, "You make it sound so final!" Sakura tried to think of something else to say as tears spilled onto her cheeks. She shook her head in frustration and looked up. "Goodbye," she said, in defeat, giving him a last hug.  
  
"Hurry!" Toya hissed, "They are beginning to stir! This will never work if they find out!" Toya grabbed Syaoran's upper arm and proceeded to pull him away.  
  
Syaoran smiled sadly at Sakura, but hurried and followed Toya away.  
  
"Thank you," Toya said quietly to Syaoran, so that Sakura couldn't hear, "She was in good hands, I am in your debt." Syaoran nodded before swiftly disappearing into the wood that shallowly lined the borders of Naanji-Yen.  
  
Sakura watched in stunned silence. It couldn't be over. Not that fast. Not this soon! "Toya," she whispered, utter horror painting her tone, "Let me go say a final goodbye!"  
  
Toya looked dismally into the woods that concealed the boy. "Go," he said in an undertone.  
  
Sakura smiled slightly and stood quickly, "I will be only a minute."  
  
Toya suddenly embraced her and whispered, "I love you Sakura. You are my precious little sister. Remember that!" Sakura, confused, pulled away.  
  
Sakura took a few hurried steps toward the wood. "I must hurry! I will miss him!" Toya gazed at her for a moment thoughtfully. Sakura was becoming impatient.  
  
"I must hurry!" she cried, "I will be back in a minute! Can't this wait?"  
  
"It has waited too long," Toya said, "Go. Hurry or you will not find him." He pushed her bag into her hands and smiled sadly at her, "If you do not return in five minutes, you have both fled north for the river." Sakura stood, puzzled. Syaoran was heading south for Naanji-Yen.  
  
Sakura suddenly knew and felt a jerk in her heart. "Thank you," she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears, but she sent him one of her traditional smiles before fleeing into the wood.  
  
"Up! Everyone, UP!!!" Toya yelled to the sleeping soldiers. The soldiers groggily sat up and rubbed their eyes. "On your horses! They fled north, I saw them heading for the river!" Quickly, the soldiers began gathering their things and jumping on horses. Yukito, the general of the particular group Toya was leading, mounted his horse and went over to where Toya sat upon his own steed.  
  
"This will be hard to explain to His Majesty," he said quietly. Yukito had known Toya too long to fall for his trick  
  
Toya gave him a frustrated look, and Yukito smiled slyly. "It will be difficult," Toya answered, "But I'll wriggle myself out of this somehow." Toya sighed and Yukito chuckled before galloping off to the north after a few of the others who were ahead. Toya shook his head before following. Once, he looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I hope you will consider my debt settled."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"SYAORAN!" Sakura yelled, running madly through the trees and brush, frantically searching for Syaoran. She heard a rustling up ahead and quickened her pace.  
  
"Wha?" Syaoran cried as Sakura burst out of the bramble behind him. He caught her as she tripped and almost fell at his feet. He grabbed her upper arms and steadied her to stand. "What are you DOING here?" he asked, somewhat frightened that something serious had happened.  
  
Once Sakura had gained her feet, she threw her arms around Syaoran's neck and pulled him close. "I'm coming with you," she said, fighting back a few tears. Syaoran stood unmoving for a moment, and then returned the embrace.  
  
"Never," he said, "NEVER make me do that again!"  
  
"What?" prodded Sakura, pulling away and eying him impishly in her usual manner. She felt immeasurable joy, and the sick feeling in her stomach was gone.  
  
Syaoran was bursting with happiness and surprise that he had never, in his entire life imagined. "Never make me leave you again," Syaoran whispered, pulling her close once more. Sakura balked, having been caught by surprise, but wrapped her arms around his neck once more.  
  
Sakura knew that finally she was happy. The runaway wolf was now hers, for as long as time would allow. "I love you," Sakura whispered in his ear, knowing that she would never let him go. The fear she felt a moment ago was something past and something she vowed to never feel again. She vowed that the loss that she experienced only a moment previous would never again pull at her heart.  
  
"Shall we confirm that?" Syaoran asked, pushing her gently away and holding her at arm's length. Sakura scanned his face, confused.  
  
Realization flashed across her face and Sakura smiled. She grabbed his hands and squeezed them. "Yes," she replied, her eyes sparkled and the soft breeze that pushed through the forest danced with loose strands of hair across her beaming features. She dropped his hands and took a step closer to him. "Seal it with a kiss."  
  
At that moment, there was no one else in the world except them and each other, nothing else in the world but longing. Both of them leaned forward, one bending down a bit, and the other up on her tiptoes. Ever so gently, their hands touched, and their lips brushed against each other. The sun peeked up over the horizon, beaming down upon them; all became still and watched with awe the pure love between the two. Even after they pulled apart, the kiss, for a moment, dared to linger in their hearts.  
  
Most stories end where the princess and the prince share the most beautiful gift that exists; a kiss, but this story is an exception. Though Syaoran was in every way a prince, and alas, this is the end of the tale, their kiss was much more than such a gift as described. Such a gift could not be described in any tale; nor in any words. The story, mind you, though the tale may be, is not finished, and only in your mind will it live on, if you let it. This is, traditionally, 'The End', but to Sakura and Syaoran it could only be the beginning.  
  
Author's Corner:  
  
This is SOOO sad! I never dreamed of writing the VERY LAST Author's Corner for this story. Thank you so much for your reviews and encouraging words. I can honestly say to you that this story would not even have made it past the first chapter.  
  
I especially want to thank:  
  
IwillmarryJustinTimberlake for reviewing EVERY chapter, and  
  
Julia and Tania for their WONDERFUL long reviews that they've given me since chapter 4  
  
Now, to all of the reviewers for chapters ten and eleven,  
  
Julia and Tania, I'm glad you liked chapter ten. I tried to put more emotion in that one; less action. And I've also had a certain fondness of stars. (mainly because Orlando bloom plays Legolas Greenleaf in LOTR, and Legolas Greenleaf is and Elf, and Elves love the stars. But that's not the point.) I did stress Monasho's look in chapter 11, he was an important character that would only show up that once, so I needed to portray his look correctly. It's not like that with other main characters like Sakura and Syaoran, because *hopefully* all of you have seen what they look like! You don't know how much I loved your reviews! They were always uplifting and I would literally sit by the computer and wait for the email to come saying that I had gotten a review from you! I would really like you to write a CCS or LOTR fic that was rated G. I would definitely read it. Thank you SOOOO much, and unless I see you in another story, goodbye! (oh, if you go to Fictionpress.com, my pen name is Forever a Jesus Freak. Really, I have a nice story starting and some really good poems.)  
  
Thanks to Onigiri Momoko, Yes, I seem to like to make long Author's notes, huh? I'm such a chatterbox. Just ask the teachers at my school. Ja!  
  
Thanks to Chibi Maylan, well, you never quite got to know what exactly the spell was, but I hope you liked it!  
  
Thanks to AnimeObsessionFantasy, I really liked all of your reviews. I'm so glad you liked my story!  
  
Thanks to IwillMarryJustinTimberlake, I hope your dream of marrying Justin Timberlake comes true. Thanks for reviewing! Yes, being a hopeless romantic has endless benefits. Especially when you have other hopeless romantics to ramble with! I really thank you for faithfully reviewing every chapter. You have my endless gratitude!!! (oh, can't forget the cherries! I still have a big hoard of them from you!)  
  
Thanks to Hikaru Ayumi, I really like the name! I'm really happy you reviewed, thanks! I love enthusiastic reviews, and I'd take you "all capitals theme" as one!  
  
Thanks to DarkJadedEyes, Thank you for saying I am a good writer. It is such a simple phrase, but It means so much to me!  
  
Thanks (finally) to Filia Regalis, for FINALLY reading my story! It took me FOREVER to get you to read it! Thank you SOOO much and you totally deserve everything good that happens to you for the rest of your life! (wait. never mind.) Well, I'll give you a big hug next time I see you. THANKS!!!  
  
Thank you so much! You can not imagine the feeling of joy and triumph at finishing a WHOLE story! Whew! It's really nice to have it out of the way, though, because I stressed a lot over it: "Aaaaah! I still haven't written that next chapter and it's been. . . WHAT?! THREE WEEKS! Oh no, I'm gonna lose ALL of my reviewers! NO MOM! YOUY CAN'T GROUND ME! I GOTTA UPDATE MY STORY! ANYONE THAT'S REVIEWED ME WILL THINK I'VE GIVEN UP AND I'LL NEVER GET A REVIEW EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!" This is but one example of many similar scenes. Well, you can't IMAGINE how happy I am right now, and all because of you. I mean, if I had never gotten a review, what's happy about finishing the story? But that's not an accurate thought, 'cause if I hadn't gotten any reviews I never WOULD have finished it! You will never know the extent of my gratude right now, and thank you so incredibly much. This is such a bittersweet moment! I'm so happy that I finished it, but I'm SO sad that it's all over!  
  
Arigatou, ALL!  
  
Ja ne!  
  
Signed, DDG  
  
~Servant of the Sea~ 


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